10 Best Oil Stocks To Buy For 2014

It's been a busy week for Halliburton (NYSE: HAL  ) . And at the end, the second largest oil services company seems to have come out trumps. Here is a company whose management knows what it's doing. The strategy to return cash to investors through share buybacks is proving to be a master stroke.

Halliburton's corporate headquarters in Houston. Source: Wikimedia commons.

Not the best of weeks ...
Starting with the reporting of the second-quarter results, this hasn't been the most impressive of weeks for Halliburton. A flat rig count and lower drilling activity ensured that revenue from the North American segment -- the company's largest market -- declined almost 10%, year over year, in the first six months of 2013. To top that, a federal antitrust probe has been initiated targeting the U.S. hydraulic fracturing market, with the top names, including Halliburton, coming under investigation.

Top 10 European Companies To Buy Right Now: Gastar Exploration Ltd (GST)

Gastar Exploration Ltd (Gastar) is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of natural gas and oil in the United States. The Company�� principal business activities include the identification, acquisition, and subsequent exploration and development of natural gas and oil properties with an emphasis on unconventional reserves, such as shale resource plays. As of December 31, 2011, it is pursuing the development of liquids-rich natural gas in the Marcellus Shale in the Appalachia area of West Virginia and, to a lesser extent, central and southwestern Pennsylvania. The Company also holds prospective acreage in the deep Bossier play in the Hilltop area of East Texas and conduct limited coal bed methane (CBM) development activities within the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana. The Company is a holding company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Josh Young]

  The parallel to Goodrich in the transaction is Gastar Exploration (GST), which has approximately 100,000 net acres in the Hunton (excluding additional exposure from the WEHLU deal). Gastar, similar to Goodrich prior to the Sanchez TMS deal, seems to trade at a discount to a $2,000 per acre implied value for its unconventional oil acreage. In fact, Gastar's CEO recently said he thought the current liquidation value of Gastar's Marcellus assets would be $4-7 per share, net of debt, versus the current $4.25 share price.

• [By David Smith]

  Earlier, the company had pocketed $75.2 million by selling to Gastar Exploration (NYSEMKT: GST  ) leasehold acreage in Oklahoma's Kingfisher and Canadian counties. It'll obviously require a passel of sales of that magnitude to shore up an overweight balance sheet.

• [By Heather Ingrassia]

  Gastar Agreement: On April 1st it was announced that Gastar Exploration, Ltd. (GST) had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire proven reserves and undeveloped leasehold interests in Kingfisher and Canadian counties of Oklahoma from Chesapeake Energy Corporation, repurchase Chesapeake's common shares of the Company and settle all litigation for $1 million. Although smaller in scope than most of Chesapeake's previous asset-shedding transactions, the agreement with Gastar accomplishes two things. First, is the fact the settlement resolves the legal wrangling both companies were engaged in and as a result Chesapeake walks away with $85 million of the potential $130 million they were suing for. Second, is the fact Chesapeake wipes it hands of acreage, that although producing, may not be producing as much as Chesapeake had once hoped, and therefore was worth much more to Gastar in the long run.

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Gastar Exploration (NYSE: GST) is another Aggressive Portfolio pick made on Dec. 11, and so far it has rallied quite aggressively, producing a three-week capital gain of 26 percent. It helped here too to catch the very bottom of the recent correction, but Gastar has continued to report strong test well results from the Hunton Limestone play it’s pioneering in Oklahoma.

10 Best Oil Stocks To Buy For 2014: Synergy Resources Corp (SYRG)

Synergy Resources Corporation, incorporated on May 11, 2005, is an oil and gas operator in Colorado. The Company is focused on the acquisition, development, exploitation, exploration and production of oil and natural gas properties primarily located in the Denver-Julesburg Basin (D-J Basin) in northeast Colorado. Effective November 13, 2013, Synergy Resources Corp acquired 21 undisclosed oil and gas producing wells, located in Wattenberg Field, Colorado.

As of October 31, 2013, the Company has 374,000 gross and 245,000 net acres under lease, substantially all of which are located in the D-J Basin. Of this acreage, 12,550 gross acres are held by production. In addition to the approximately 22,000 net developed and undeveloped acres that the Company hold in the Wattenberg Field, it hold undeveloped acreage positions in the northern extension area of the D-J Basin, in an area around Yuma County that produces dry gas, and in western Nebraska.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Value Digger]

  As peers, I selected Artek Exploration (ARKXF.PK), RMP Energy (OEXFF.PK), Synergy Resources (SYRG) and Magnum Hunter Resources (MHR). The first two firms trade also on the main Toronto board under the tickers RTK.TO and RMP.TO respectively. These peers comply with the following criteria:

10 Best Oil Stocks To Buy For 2014: Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC)

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC), incorporated on November 9, 2009, is a petroleum product refiners, transporters and marketers in the United States. The Company operates in three segments: Refining & Marketing, Speedway and Pipeline Transportation. Marathon Petroleum�� refining, marketing and transportation operations are concentrated in the Midwest, Gulf Coast and Southeast regions of the United States. MPC has two retail brands: Speedway and Marathon. Effective as of June 30, 2011, MPC was separated from Marathon Oil Corporation (Marathon Oil) and became an independent company in a spin-off transaction.

Refining & Marketing

The Company owned and operated six refineries in the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the United States with an aggregate crude oil refining capacity of approximately 1.2 million barrels per calendar day as of December 31, 2011. During 2011, its refineries processed 1,177 million barrels per day of crude oil and 181 mbpd of other charge and blend stocks. Its refineries include crude oil atmospheric and vacuum distillation, fluid catalytic cracking, catalytic reforming, desulfurization and sulfur recovery units. The refineries process a range of crude oils and produce numerous refined products, ranging from transportation fuels, such as reformulated gasolines, blend-grade gasolines intended for blending with fuel ethanol and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, to heavy fuel oil and asphalt. Additionally, MPC manufacture aromatics, propane, propylene, cumene and sulfur.

The Company�� Garyville, Louisiana refinery is located along the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The Garyville refinery is configured to process heavy sour crude oil into products, such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, polymer grade propylene, propane, isobutane, sulfur and fuel-grade coke. The Catlettsburg, Kentucky refinery is located in northeastern Kentucky on the western bank of the Big Sandy River, near the confluence! with the Ohio River. The Catlettsburg refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into products such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, cumene, petrochemicals, propane and propylene. The Robinson, Illinois refinery is located in southeastern Illinois. The Robinson refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into products, such as multiple grades of gasoline, distillates, anode-grade coke, propane, butane and propylene.

MPC�� Detroit, Michigan refinery is located near Interstate 75 in southwest Detroit. It is the petroleum refinery operating in Michigan. The Detroit refinery processes light sweet and heavy sour crude oils, including Canadian crude oils, into products, such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, slurry, propane, and propylene. Its Canton, Ohio refinery is located approximately 60 miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. The Canton refinery processes sweet and sour crude oils into products such as gasoline, distillates, asphalt, propane, slurry and roofing flux. Its Texas City, Texas refinery is located on the Texas Gulf Coast approximately 30 miles south of Houston, Texas. The refinery processes sweet crude oil into products such as gasoline, chemical grade propylene, propane, slurry and aromatics.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned and operated 62 light product and 21 asphalt terminals. In addition, it distributes through approximately 52 third-party light product and 12 third-party asphalt terminals in its market area. During 2011, marine transportation operations included 15 towboats, as well as 167 owned and 14 leased barges that transport refined products on the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers and their tributaries, as well as the Intercoastal Waterway. As of December 31, 2011, the Company leased or owned approximately 1,950 railcars of various sizes and capacities for movement and storage of refined products. In addition, it own 124 transport trucks for the movement of refined products.

The Company produces propane at all six of its! refineri! es. Propane is primarily used for home heating and cooking, as a feedstock within the petrochemical industry, for grain drying and as a fuel for trucks and other vehicles. The Company is also a producer and marketer of feedstocks and specialty products. Product availability varies by refinery and includes propylene, cumene, dilute naphthalene oil, molten sulfur, toluene, benzene and xylene. Propane is primarily used for home heating and cooking, as a feedstock within the petrochemical industry, for grain drying and as a fuel for trucks and other vehicles.

Speedway

The Company sells transportation fuels and convenience products in the retail market in the Midwest, primarily through Speedway convenience stores. The Speedway segment sells gasoline and merchandise through convenience stores that the Companu owns and operates, primarily under the Speedway brand. Speedway-branded convenience stores offer a range of merchandise, such as prepared foods, beverages and non-food items, including a number of private-label items. As of December 31, 2011, Speedway had 1,371 convenience stores in seven states.

Pipeline Transportation

The Company transports crude oil and other feedstocks to our refineries and other locations, delivers refined products to wholesale and retail market areas and includes, among other transportation-related assets, a majority interest in LOOP LLC, which is the owner and operator of the United States deepwater oil port. It owns common carrier pipeline systems through Marathon Pipe Line LLC (MPL) and Ohio River Pipe Line LLC (ORPL), both of which are wholly owned subsidiaries. These pipeline systems transport crude oil and refined products, primarily in the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions, to its refineries, its terminals and other pipeline systems. The Company�� MPL and ORPL wholly owned carrier systems consist of 1,707 miles of crude oil lines and 1,825 miles of refined product lines comprising 31 systems located in 11 states, as of Decem! ber 31, 2! 011. In addition, MPL leases and operates 217 miles of common carrier refined product pipelines.

The common carrier refined product pipelines include the owned and operated Cardinal Products Pipeline and the Wabash Pipeline. The Cardinal Products Pipeline delivers refined products from Kenova, West Virginia, to Columbus, Ohio. The Wabash Pipeline system delivers refined products from Robinson, Illinois, to various terminals in the area of Chicago, Illinois. Other refined product pipelines owned and operated by MPL extend from: Robinson, Illinois to Louisville, Kentucky; Robinson, Illinois to Lima, Ohio; Wood River, Illinois to Indianapolis, Indiana; Garyville, Louisiana to Zachary, Louisiana, and Texas City, Texas to Pasadena, Texas.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company had partial ownership interests in the pipeline companies that have approximately 110 miles of crude oil pipelines and 3,600 miles of refined products pipelines, including about 970 miles operated by MPL, which include Centennial Pipeline LLC (Centennial), Explorer Pipeline Company (Explorer), LOCAP LLC (LOCAP), LOOP LLC (LOOP), Muskegon Pipeline LLC (Muskegon) and Wolverine Pipe Line Company (Wolverine).

The Company holds a 50% interest in Centennial, which owns a refined products pipeline system connecting the Gulf Coast region with the Midwest market. The Company holds a 17% interest in Explorer, a refined products pipeline system extending from the Gulf Coast to the Midwest. It holds a 51% interest in LOOP, the owner and operator of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which is a deepwater oil port capable of receiving crude oil from large crude carriers, located 18 miles off the coast of Louisiana, and a crude oil pipeline connecting the port facility to storage caverns and tanks at Clovelly, Louisiana. The Company holds a 60% interest in Muskegon, which owns a refined products pipeline extending from Griffith, Indiana to North Muskegon, Michigan. It hold a 6% interest in Wolverine, a refined prod! ucts pipe! line system extending from Chicago, Illinois to Toledo, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dimitra DeFotis]

  Oil prices headed past $108 per barrel, bringing with them a number of energy producers and drillers, as we reported here. But refiners fell, including Marathon Petroleum (MPC);�ExxonMobil (XOM) was off as well.

10 Best Oil Stocks To Buy For 2014: Turcas Petrol AS (TRCAS)

Turcas Petrol AS (Turcas) is a Turkey-based integrated energy holding company that operates in the fields of fuel distribution, oil refining, power generation & trading, and import & wholesale of natural gas. The joint venture company, Shell & Turcas Petrol AS (STAS), carries out the Company�� fuel distribution activities through a network of gas stations, delivering services across Turkey. Its Oil refining and petroleum production is undertaken by SOCAR & Turcas Energy (STEAS). The Company operates its power generation, trading and distribution activities through Turcas Energy Holding. The import, export and wholesale of natural gas are handled by Turcas Gas Trading. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lyubov Pronina]

  Akbank sank 4.2 percent in Istanbul, falling for a sixth straight day, the longest streak in almost two months. Turcas Petrol AS (TRCAS) lost 1.6 percent after the Turkish energy company said Finance Ministry officials started an inspection at its venture with Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

10 Best Oil Stocks To Buy For 2014: Bison Petroleum Corp (BISN)

Bison Petroleum Corp. (Bison), incorporated on February 9, 2010, is an independent American oil and gas company founded to provide the United States energy security by developing and producing oil and gas from the nation's energy heartlands. Bison's holdings are located in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming.

On August 9, 2013, he Company entered into a Lease Purchase Agreement with Nelan Advisors Corporation (Nelan), whereby Nelan sold certain oil and gas leases issued by the State of Wyoming to Bison. Bison focuses to commence oil and gas drilling operations on these leases.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  On Friday, small cap stocks Bison Petroleum Corp (OTCMKTS: BISN) and Interactive Leisure Systems Inc (OTCMKTS: IALS) sank 16.27% and 16%, respectively, and despite being the subject of recent paid promotions or investor relation campaigns. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a properly disclosed stock promotion or paid for investor relations campaigns, but investors and traders alike need to be careful about how they get into and exit such stocks before getting badly burned. With that in mind, here is a quick look at both small cap stocks to help you decide on an investment or trading strategy for this week:

  Bison Petroleum Corp (OTCMKTS: BISN) Has Given Another Corporate Update

  Small cap Bison Petroleum Corp is a publicly traded oil and gas exploration and development company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and dedicated to the exploration and development of domestic Energy in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. On Friday, Bison Petroleum Corp sank 16.27% to $1.39 for a market cap of $65.35 million plus BISN is up 396.4% since last June according to Google Finance.

10 Best Oil Stocks To Buy For 2014: Dresser-Rand Group Inc (DRC)

Dresser-Rand Group Inc., incorporated on October 1,2004, is a global supplier of of custom-engineered rotating equipment solutions for long-life, critical applications in the oil, gas, chemical, petrochemical, process, power generation, military and other industries worldwide. Its rotating equipment is also supplied to the environmental solutions market space within energy infrastructure. It designs, manufactures and markets engineered rotating equipment and provide services to the worldwide oil, gas, petrochemical, power generation, environmental solutions and industrial process industries. In July 2012, the Company acquired compressed air energy storage property.

The Company has two segments: new units and aftermarket parts. New units are predominately engineered solutions to new requests from clients. New units also include standardized equipment such as engines and single stage steam turbines. The segment includes engineering, manufacturing, packaging, testing, sales and administrative support. Aftermarket parts and services consist of support solutions for the existing population of installed equipment and the operation and maintenance of several types of energy plants. The segment includes engineering, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, start-up and other field services, repairs, overhauls, refurbishment, sales and administrative support.

The Company's products and services are used in oil and gas applications that include hydrogen recycle, make-up, wet gas and other applications for the refining industry; cracked gas, propylene and ethylene compression for petrochemical facilities; ammonia syngas, refrigeration, and carbon dioxide compression for fertilizer production; a number of compression duties for chemical plants; gas gathering, export, lift and re-injection of natural gas or carbon dioxide (CO2) to meet regulatory requirements or for oil field enhanced recovery in the upstream market; gas processing, main refrigeration compression and a variety of other! duties required in the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG); gas processing duties, storage and pipeline transmission compression for the midstream market; synthetic fuels; and steam turbine power generation for floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels as well as power generation or mechanical drive duties for a variety of compression and pumping applications in the oil and gas market. It is also a supplier of diesel and gas engines that provides customized energy solutions across worldwide energy infrastructure markets based upon reciprocating engine power systems technologies.

The Company's custom-engineered products are also used in other advanced applications in the environmental markets it serves. These applications use renewable energy sources, reduce carbon footprint, recover energy and/or energy efficiency. These products include, among others, compression technologies for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS); hot gas turbo-expanders for energy recovery in refineries and certain chemical facilities; co- and tri-generation combined heat and power (CHP) packages for institutional and other clients; and a number of steam turbine applications to generate power using steam produced by recovering exhaust heat from the main engines in ships, recovering heat from mining and metals production facilities and exhaust heat recovery from gas turbines in on-shore and off-shore sites.

It provides an array of products and services to its worldwide client base in over 150 countries from its global locations in 18 United States and 32 countries (over 76 sales offices, 49 service and support centers, including six engineering and research and development centers, and 13 manufacturing locations). Its clients include, among others, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Dow Chemical Company, ExxonMobil, Gazprom, LUKOIL, Marathon Petroleum Company, PDVSA, Pemex, Petrobras, PetroChina, Petronas, Repsol, Royal Dutch Shell, SBM, Saudi Aramco, Statoil, Total and Turkmengaz.

!

New Units

The Company is a manufacturer of engineered turbo and reciprocating compression equipment and steam turbines. It is also a manufacture power turbines; special-purpose gas turbines; hot gas expanders; gas and diesel engines; trip, trip throttle and non-return valves; magnetic bearings and control systems. Its new unit products are built to client specifications for long-life, critical applications. It is a supplier of turbo machinery for the energy infrastructure markets worldwide. Applications for its turbo products include gas gathering, lift, export and injection; CO2 compression for enhanced oil recovery; storage and transmission; synthetic fuels; ethylene and fertilizer production; refineries and chemical production; CCS and CAES. In addition, it offers a variety of gas and power turbines covering a power range from approximately 1.5 megawatts to more than 50 MW, which support driver needs for various centrifugal compressor product lines, as well as for power generation applications. It also offers control systems for its centrifugal compressors.

It is a supplier of reciprocating compressors, offering products ranging from medium to high-speed separable units driven by engines or electric motors, to slow speed motor driven process reciprocating compressors. It is a supplier of standard and engineered mechanical drive steam turbines and turbine generator sets. Its steam turbine models cover a power range from a few kilowatts up to 75MW, are available for high inlet steam pressure and temperature conditions, with or without induction and/or extraction sections and in condensing or back-pressure designs. These units are used primarily to drive pumps, fans, blowers, generators and compressors. It is a supplier of diesel, gas and dual fuel internal combustion reciprocating engines. Its Guascor engines cover a power range of up to 1.5 megawatts. Guascor engines are used in 1) industrial applications and power generation, 2) marine propulsion and auxiliary genera! tion, and! 3) environmental solutions, CHP and bioenergy (waste water treatment plant, landfill and biogas generation).

Aftermarket Parts and Services

Aftermarket parts and services segment provides them with long-term growth opportunities. Aftermarket parts and services are generally less sensitive to business cycles than the new units segment, although revenues and bookings tend to be higher in the second half of the year. With a typical operating life of 30 years or more, rotating equipment requires substantial aftermarket parts and services over its operating life. Parts and services activities realize higher margins than new unit sales. Additionally, the cumulative revenues from these aftermarket activities often exceed the initial purchase price of the unit. Its aftermarket parts and services business offers a range of services designed to enable clients to maximize their return on assets by optimizing the performance of their mission-critical rotating equipment. It offers a broad range of aftermarket parts and services, including: replacement parts, field service turnaround, service and repair, operation and maintenance contracts, rotor / spare parts storage, condition monitoring, controls retrofit, site / reliability audits, remote area energy solutions, equipment repair and rerates, equipment installation, applied technology, long-term service agreements, special coatings / weldings, product training, turnkey installation / project management and energy asset management.

The Company competes with GE Oil & Gas, Solar Turbines, Inc., MAN Diesel & Turbo, Siemens, Rolls-Royce Energy, Elliott Company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Burckhardt Compression, Neuman & Esser Group, Ariel Corp., Howden Thomassen Compressors BV and Mitsui & Co., Ltd, Elliott Company, Shin Nippon Machinery Co. Ltd, GE/Jenbacher, Caterpillar and Cummins.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Michael Fitzsimmons]

  General Electric's (GE) Oil & Gas division is on fire and growing much faster than the rest of the company. Yet it is such a small part of the company, its valuation is being diluted by GE's other businesses. However, the company has a cash hoard and CEO Jeff Immelt has spoken frequently about his desire to grow the industrial base while reducing the size of GE Capital. As a result, the best way to invest in GE Oil's & Gas business may be to invest companies which GE is likely to takeover. Two likely candidates are the Dresser Rand Corp. (DRC) and Dril-Quip (DRQ).

10 Best Oil Stocks To Buy For 2014: Marquee Energy Ltd (MQL)

Marquee Energy Ltd. (Marquee), formerly Marquee Petroleum Ltd., is a junior oil and gas company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of petroleum and natural gas reserves in Western Canada. The Company is focused on the Cardium play of West Central Alberta in the Wilesden Green, Carrot Creek and South Pembina areas. As of December 31, 2011, the Company owned a total of approximately 174,420 gross acres (147,875 net acres) of oil and natural gas leases. In December 2013, it acquired all of the Western Canadian assets of Sonde Resources Corp. (Sonde), including all of its Southern Alberta properties. The Assets are primarily located in Marquee's core area at Michichi, Alberta immediately offsetting Marquee's lands and production. In March 2014, Marquee Energy Ltd completed the acquisition of strategic assets in its oil focused Michichi core area. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]
  Sonde Resources Corp. An oil and gas exploration and production company based in Calgary, Alberta, Sonde Resources Corp held a global portfolio of high potential energy assets including producing oil and natural gas assets in Western Canada and offshore exploration property in North Africa.�Specifically, Sonde Resources Corp had�226,119 gross undeveloped acres in Western Canada and 750,000 acres in a Libya/Tunisia offshore licence. However and last November,�an agreement between Sonde Resources Corp and�Marquee Energy Ltd (CVE: MQL) was announced whereby�the latter�will acquire substantially all of the former���Western Canadian assets, including all of its Southern Alberta properties. These assets�are primarily located in Marquee's core area at Michichi, Alberta, immediately offsetting Marquee's lands and production. Under the deal which concluded at the end of last year, Sonde Resources Corp received 21,182,492 common shares of Marquee Energy Ltd plus $15 million cash with the�shares�being distributed to Sonde Resources Corp's shareholders and Sonde itself retaining the cash�received. In addition, Sonde Resources Corp will retain ownership of about 100,000 net acres of Western Canada exploration assets, split approximately equally between its Eaglesham area Wabamun play and west central Alberta Duvernay play.�Moreover, the company will continue to seek strategic alternatives for this Western Canada exploration acreage, including cash sales, farm-outs, other forms of merger, or other options. Otherwise, Sonde Resources Corp�� business�will focus on�the development of the Zarat field and exploration of the Joint Oil Block in North Africa. On Tuesday, small cap Sonde Resources Corp fell 1.83% to $0.530 (SOQ has a 52 week trading range of $0.51 to $2.11 a share) for a market cap of $29.72 million plus the stock is down 70.5% over the past year and down 55.8% over the past five years.