Nine Dividend-Paying Oil Investments to Purchase as the Energy Market Heats Up

Nine dividend-paying oil investments to purchase as the economy heats up and energy prices climb belong to an industry that will be fueled by $100 a barrel Brent crude in 2022, according to a recent report by BoA Global Research.

The nine dividend-paying oil investments to purchase amid the improving economy and rising oil prices include four funds, the country’s biggest refiner of the so-called “black gold” and five stocks that BoA rates as “buy.” The forecast of $100 a barrel for Brent crude next year came from BoA’s commodity team, even though its equity research colleagues are not quite as bullish.

Pension Chairman Predicts Oil Rising to $100 a Barrel and Recommends Two of the Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase

Aside from short-term dips, oil has been a good investment for more than a year, and its ascent is likely to continue, said Bob Carlson, who heads the Retirement Watch investment newsletter. Market forces and the major oil producers are expected to drive the price of oil to around $100 and it likely will remain near that level, if global economic growth stays strong, he added.

“I prefer to invest in the commodities themselves instead of companies in commodity businesses,” said Carlson, who further serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Virginia’s Fairfax County Employees’ Retirement System with more than $4 billion in assets. “Investing in the commodities avoids potential problems with management, debt levels, regulators, labor and more.”

Funds are the “best way” for most investors to take stakes in commodities, Carlson counseled.

Pension fund and Retirement Watch chief Bob Carlson answers questions from columnist Paul Dykewicz.

A Commodity Fund Is Another of the Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase

A good choice for investors is the ETF iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll (COMT), Carlson continued. The fund seeks to follow the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index, which is heavily weighted to energy compared to most other commodity indexes, he added.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

COMT invests in most commodities using futures contracts. The fund has gained 9.30% in the last three months and 28.27% for the year to date.

“Another good choice is Parametric Commodity Strategy (EAPCX), an open-end mutual fund,” Carlson said. “This fund also takes most of its commodity positions through futures contracts. The fund’s benchmark is the Bloomberg Commodity Total Return Index, which isn’t as heavily weighted in energy as the GSCI.”

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

However, EAPCX does not try to track the Bloomberg Commodity Total Return Index, Carlson commented. Instead, EAPCX seeks to beat the index using a rules-based systematic investment process, greater diversification and active rebalancing, he added.

“The managers don’t forecast the markets or take positions based on forecasts,” Carlson told me.

The fund has risen 8.67% in the last three months and 22.87% for the year date.

Seasoned Wall Street Trader Chooses Largest U.S. Oil Refiner as One of Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase

“Oil prices topped out in mid-July after OPEC stated it would increase production,” said Bryan Perry, who heads the Cash Machine investment newsletter, as well as the Premium Income, Quick Income Trader, Breakout Profits Trader and Hi-Tech Trader advisory services. As of July 19, WTI crude traded at $66.57/bbl. in what is the sharpest sell-off since late March. Assuming this pullback in crude is an orderly correction, following a torrid move higher year to date, it presents a compelling buying opportunity in some blue-chip energy stocks.”

Paul Dykewicz interviews Bryan Perry.

One such stock that Perry recommends is Findlay, Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:MPC), America’s largest oil refiner. Perry called Marathon his favorite industry pick right now.  Marathon not only has robust operations in refining but in midstream and retail markets, he added.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

Recommended Refiner’s Resurgence Rates It One of Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase

Revenues at Marathon are forecast to rise by 23% to $85 billion in 2021 with earnings of $1.03 per share estimated to soar by 221% to $3.31 in 2022, Perry said. The stock traded at $64.84 in early June and is testing its 200-day moving average around $50, offering a dividend yield of 4.5%, Perry continued.

If oil prices stabilize, Marathon Petroleum should prove to be a “very savvy purchase” for investors who want to initiate or add to their energy holdings, Perry predicted.

Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase Gain Economic Support from Stock-Savvy Professor

The 13-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its oil-producing allies recently agreed to provide millions of additional barrels of crude oil a day to the global market in the next couple of years, said Mark Skousen, PhD, who leads the Forecasts & Strategies investment newsletter, as well as the Five Star Trader, Home Run Trader, TNT Trader and the Fast Money Alert trading services. So, it is not surprising that the price of U.S. oil has dropped by 6% to less than $70 on Monday, July 19, added Skousen, a Presidential Fellow in economics at Chapman University.

The drop in oil prices hurt energy producers, since the sector was enduring a shakeout due to recent consolidation in the stock market. But a good contrarian buys on bad news with a view to taking profits when the outlook improves, Skousen said.

With the pandemic receding, interest rates near record lows and governments introducing multi-trillion fiscal stimulus around the world, it should not be long before oil prices and companies rebound, Skousen opined.

Mark Skousen, PhD, a descendent of Benjamin Franklin, meets with Paul Dykewicz in Philadelphia.

Money Manager Favors a Fund Among the Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase

“I’m going to get contrarian here: while oil might spike above $100 on a supply shock or geopolitical tension, it’s going to take a lot of inflation and a lot of OPEC supply discipline to keep it there,” said Hilary Kramer, who heads the GameChangers and Value Authority advisory services. “This is not the 1970s, when U.S. energy independence was a cruel dream. If overseas producers talk tough, domestic shale operators will simply drill more wells. So, what do I like in the sector? All the majors are down 10-25%, so all you really need to do is pick up a broad market-cap-weighted basket like the Energy SPDR (NYSE:XLE) and wait for rising crude to lift all the boats.”

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

For investors who want to buy a more concentrated oil allocation, an outside-the-box idea is natural gas processor Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB), which offers an implied yield of 6.4% and is showing significant stress, Kramer counseled.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

“I’d be surprised if cash flow on the horizon will support the dividend, so the market is right in being a little leery of this stock, Kramer said. “But while it will take some creative accounting to maintain a $0.41 quarterly payout, I’m thinking WMB can manage $0.30 per quarter without too much trouble… if management decides they need to cut at all. That’s worth a 4.5% yield, which is pretty good if you’re simply looking for a bond replacement over the next few years.”

Paul Dykewicz interviews money manager Hilary Kramer. Her premium advisory services include IPO Edge, 2-Day Trader, Turbo Trader and the exclusive Inner Circle.

And that possibility is a “worst-case scenario,” Kramer said. WMB’s management found a way to keep hiking its dividend in every oil slump since 2002, with the only cut occurring in 2016 to free up cash for acquisitions, she added.

“At the time, Wall Street cheered,” Kramer recalled. “While I can’t promise that this time around, using this stock for income and not as a trading vehicle is probably the way to go right now.”

BoA Global Research Identifies Five of Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase

A recent research report by BoA identified five oil stocks as buys. Exxon Mobil Corp. stands out at the top of the group.

Key risks faced by Exxon Mobil include a challenging margin environment, significant delays to the new upstream projects critical to its growth targets and obstacles to capturing the price climate due to cost constraints. However, BoA set a lofty $90 price target for Exxon Mobil, 57.8% above its closing price of $57.05 on July 23.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:OXY) received a $44 price target from BoA that would mark a 65.5% jump from the company’s closing price of $26.58 on July 23. But the company’s downside risks, cited by BoA, include the tough oil and gas environment, potential delays in large-scale projects and exposure to the Middle East and the corresponding political risk it entails.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

Hess Earns Spot Among Six Oil Stocks to Buy

Hess Corp. (NYSE:HES) received a price objective of $115 from BoA, 54.6% above its closing stock price of $74.38 on July 23. BoA cautioned to expect the company to show restraint on new spending projects to grow its business. The risks to the forecast include the unpredictable pricing environment, potential slowdowns in drilling that could cause production to slide below expectations and exploratory drilling activities that may hold back the stock’s climb, BoA indicated.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

FANG Earns Berth Among Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase

Diamondback Energy Inc. (NYSE:FANG) garnered a $114 price objective from BoA, 45.7% above the stock’s closing share price of $78.23 on July 23. However, its risks include the uncertain pricing environment in the oil industry and a possible slower rate of development than now expected.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

Deven Energy Also Is One of the Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase

Deven Energy Corp. (NYSE:DYN) received a $40 price objective from BoA, 56.1% above the stock’s closing share price of $25.63 on July 20. Challenges include trying to develop production in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford shale, weak natural gas pricing and a potential global recession, according to BoA.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

New Delta Variant of COVID-19 Spread May Affect Nine Dividend-paying Oil Investments to Purchase

The increasingly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 has heightened concerns from health experts about the growing spread of the virus across the United States. The variant is blamed for new surges in case numbers and deaths. Genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been emerging and circulating around the world since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Recently, the CDC and the U.S. State Department each raised their warnings to the highest levels on July 19 for travel to the United Kingdom. The CDC warned to “avoid” traveling there, while the State Department issued a “do not travel” order to prevent visiting the United Kingdom.

The definition of a a variant is that is has one or more mutations that differentiate it from other COVID-19 varieties. The CDC expects the Delta variant to become the dominant coronavirus strain in the United States. With more than half the U.S. population not fully vaccinated, public health officials caution that a resurgence of COVID-19 cases is starting to occur and may worsen further this fall when many unvaccinated children return to school.

Progress in boosting the number of people vaccinated from COVID-19 raises hope that new cases and deaths will fall. As of July 23, 187,579,557 people, or 56.6% of the U.S. population, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Those in American who are fully vaccinated total 162,435,276 people, or 48.9%, of the U.S. population, according to the CDC.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a third COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), which requires just one dose rather than two doses, as with the first two vaccine providers: Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA).

COVID-19 cases worldwide have reached 192,939,490 and caused 4,140,700 deaths, as of July 23, according to Johns Hopkins University. U.S. COVID-19 cases reached 34,316,321 and caused 610,387 deaths. America has the dreaded distinction as the country with the most COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The nine dividend-paying oil investments to purchase offer investors a chance to profit and be paid for their patience amid the pandemic. Increasing COVID-19 vaccine availability and doses, improving economic data and a recent $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package should help to boost the prices of the nine dividend-paying oil investments to purchase.