Top Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now

LONDON -- Before I decide whether to buy a company's shares, I always like to look at two core financial ratios --�return on equity�and�net gearing.

These two ratios provide an indication of how successful a company is at generating profits using shareholders' funds and debt, and they have a strong influence on dividend payments and share price growth.

Today, I'm going to take a look at utility and energy producer�Centrica� (LSE: CNA  ) (NASDAQOTH: CPYYY  ) , to see how attractive it looks on these two measures.

Return on equity
The return a company generates on its shareholders' funds is known as�return on equity,�or ROE. Return on equity can be calculated by dividing a company's annual earnings by its equity (ie, the difference between its total assets and its total liabilities) and is expressed as a percentage.

Top Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: El Paso Corporation(EP)

El Paso Corporation operates in the natural gas transmission, and exploration and production sectors of the energy industry primarily in the United States. It offers natural gas transmission services to a range of customers, including natural gas producers, marketers, and end-users, as well as other natural gas transmission, distribution, and electric generation companies through its interests in approximately 43,100 miles of interstate pipeline system. The company also operates approximately 240 billion cubic feet of storage capacity, and an LNG receiving terminal in Elba Island, Georgia. In addition, El Paso Corporation focuses on the exploration, acquisition, development, and production of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids in the United States, Brazil, and Egypt, as well as engages in midstream business. The company primarily sells its domestic natural gas and oil to third parties. As of December 31, 2010, it had proved natural gas and oil reserves of approximat ely 3.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas equivalents. The company was founded in 1928 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  El Paso, added to the Rising Star collection by Jordan DiPietro, is a two-headed beast. "El Paso is an exploration and production company second, and a pipeline operator first," he says.

  This means that while exploration and production are subject to the vagaries of changing oil prices, the pipelines can act as a steady stream of reliable income.

  So far, the company's objective of building out its pipelines has been coming up aces: "[El Paso] has three pipeline projects that are on schedule and expected to come in about 25% under budget. With an $8 billion backlog of pipeline projects coming into fruition in the next few years, the company has multiple opportunities to boost earnings."

• [By Chuck]

  El Paso (EP-N17.920.372.11%) is a natural gas transmission, exploration and production company. It receives “buy” ratings from an impressive 80 per cent of analysts.

  El Paso has significant interests in the 42,000-mile North American natural gas pipeline system, which will increase in importance in coming years as the U.S. segues from foreign-produced oil to domestically-abundant natural gas. El Paso has grown net income 7.2 per cent a year, on average, since 2007, but cut its dividend from a high of five cents in 2009, hurting its perception with investors. Currently, the company pays one cent a quarter, equaling an annual yield of 0.3 per cent. Analysts don't expect a near-term boost.

  Still, El Paso is an attractive investment because it has pricing power over those who need to transport or store natural gas and has ample profit margins. In the third quarter, the gross margin jumped from 54 per cent to 64 per cent and the operating margin rose from 34 per cent to 44 per cent. In addition to its stable pipeline business, El Paso's exploration unit has interest in many of the so-called emerging shale plays in the U.S., including the Haynesville, Eagle Ford and Wolfcamp properties. JPMorgan, which rates El Paso “overweight”, recently cut its 2011 natural gas price forecast to $4.35 per thousand cubic feet from $5.06 and its 12-month target for El Paso to $15.50.

  From a longer-term perspective, El Paso is particularly attractive relative to exploration stocks because it has lucrative prospects, coupled with stable transportation cash flow. Also, it remains undervalued relative to peer investments, selling for a trailing earnings multiple of 11, a forward earnings multiple of 13, a book value multiple of 2.2, a sales multiple of 2.1 and a cash flow multiple of 5.4, 43 per cent, 29 per cent, 50 per cent, 32 per cent and 41 per cent industry discounts.

  Bullish Scenario: BMO Capital Markets forecasts an advance of 31 per cent to $19.

  Bearish Scenari! o: Goldman Sachs ranks the stock “neutral”, with a $14 target.

• [By Louis Navellier]

  El Paso Corp. (NYSE:EP) is an energy company that operates in the natural gas transmission and exploration and production sectors of the energy industry. Clearly the turbulent market hasn’t affected El Paso stock — it’s up 40% year to date.

Top Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Schlumberger N.V.(SLB)

Schlumberger Limited, together with its subsidiaries, supplies technology, integrated project management, and information solutions to the oil and gas exploration and production industries worldwide. The company?s Oilfield Services segment provides exploration and production services; wireline technology that offers open-hole and cased-hole services; supplies engineering support, directional-drilling, measurement-while-drilling, and logging-while-drilling services; and testing services. This segment also offers well services; supplies well completion services and equipment; artificial lift; data and consulting services; geo services; and information solutions, such as consulting, software, information management system, and IT infrastructure services that support oil and gas industry. Its WesternGeco segment provides reservoir imaging, monitoring, and development services; and operates data processing centers and multiclient seismic library. This segment also offers variou s services include 3D and time-lapse (4D) seismic surveys to multi-component surveys for delineating prospects and reservoir management. The company?s M-I SWACO segment supplies drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance; fluid systems and specialty tools to optimize wellbore productivity; production technology solutions to maximize production rates; and environmental solutions that manages waste volumes generated in drilling and production operations. Its Smith Oilfield segment designs, manufactures, and markets drill bits and borehole enlargement tools; and supplies drilling tools and services, tubular, completion services, and other related downhole solutions. The company?s Distribution segment markets pipes, valves, and fittings, as well as mill, safety, and other maintenance products. This segment also provides warehouse management, vendor integration, and inventory management services. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1927 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lowell]

  Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) is a premier supplier of technology and oil-well services and equipment. S&P has upgraded SLB to a “buy,” and Credit Suisse upgraded it to an “outperform” rating because the company exceeded recent earnings forecasts and increased its view of future earnings for 2011. SLB’s fundamental target is $117 and is based on earnings estimates of $3.85 for 2011, $5.40 for 2012, and $6.05 for 2013.

  Technically SLB may become the object of profit-taking following a recent run to over $95. Positions are recommended at around $85 with a target of $115 before December 2011, assuming a breakout through a triple-top at $95.

Best Safest Companies To Own For 2014: Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited(YGE)

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and installation of photovoltaic (PV) products in the People?s Republic of China and internationally. The company offers PV cells, PV modules, and integrated PV systems, as well as polysilicon ingots, blocks, and wafers. It sells its PV modules to distributors, wholesalers, power plant developers and operators, and PV system integrators in Germany, the United States, Italy, China, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Japan under the Yingli and Yingli Solar brand names. The company also offers its integrated PV systems directly to end-users or to contractors for use in the electricity projects, as well as to mobile communications companies in the People's Republic of China. Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Baoding, the People? s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

   Yipes! A Chinese solar stock? Everyone knows that the market for solar cells has collapsed and that China's solar sector is awash in unused capacity and desperate companies barely clinging to life. Exactly --everybody knows. So what does it take to move a stock like Yingli Green Energy (YGE)?

  It doesn't take much. Some positive speculation that Yingli and competitor Trina Solar (TSL) are well-financed enough  to be among the survivors in the sector would do it. (Yingli can sustain the 2013 cash burn rate for four years, Credit Suisse calculates.) Yingli would also be helped by news of China's State Council encouraging mergers and acquisitions (and maybe even a bankruptcy) in an effort to reduce capacity in the sector -- and banning local government financing of the sort that has kept Suntech Power (STP) and LDK Solar (LDK) in business. There's also a new, high-profile target for increased buying of solar equipment by China's power companies. That last factor has been especially important to Yingli Green Energy, since the company is set to receive orders under the government-funded program.

  Shares of Yingli Green Energy have just about doubled from a Nov. 21 low of $1.28 to a Dec. 19 price of $2.44. But there's room to run; the 52-week high is $6.27.

• [By Harding]

  Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., Ltd.(NYSE: YGE) closing price in the stock market Tuesday, Jan. 3, was $4.07. YGE is trading 4.05% above its 50 day moving average and -22.09% below its 200 day moving average. YGE is -70.05% below its 52-week high of $13.59 and 48.00% above its 52-week low of $2.75. YGE‘s PE ratio is 3.79 and its market cap is $643.85M.

  Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., Ltd. engages in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and installation of photovoltaic (PV) products in the People’s Republic of China and internationally.

Top Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Phillips 66 (PSX)

Phillips 66 is a holding company. The Company is engaged in producing natural gas liquids (NGL) and petrochemicals. The Company operates in three segments: the Refining and Marketing (R&M) segment, the Midstream segment and the Chemicals segment. The Refining and Marketing (R&M) segment purchases, refines, markets and transports crude oil and petroleum products, mainly in the United States, Europe and Asia, and also engages in power generation activities. The Midstream segment gathers, processes, transports and markets natural gas, and fractionates and markets NGL, predominantly in the United States. The Chemicals segment manufactures and markets petrochemicals and plastics on a worldwide basis. The Company�� operations encompass 15 refineries with a gross crude oil capacity of 2.8 million barrels per day, 10,000 branded marketing outlets and 7.2 billion cubic feet per day of gross natural gas processing capacity.

R&M

The Company�� R&M segment primarily refines crude oil and other feedstocks into petroleum products (such as gasolines, distillates and aviation fuels); buys, sells and transports crude oil; and buys, transports, distributes and markets petroleum products. This segment also engages in power generation activities. R&M has operations in the United States, Europe and Asia.

The Company�� Bayway Refinery is located on the New York Harbor in Linden, New Jersey. The refinery produces a high percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as petrochemical feedstocks, residual fuel oil and home heating oil. Its Trainer Refinery is located on the Delaware River in Trainer, Pennsylvania. Refinery facilities include fluid catalytic cracking units, hydrodesulfurization units, a reformer and a hydrocracker. The Alliance Refinery is located on the Mississippi River in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. The single-train facility includes fluid catalytic cracking units, hydrodesulfurization units and a reformer and aromatics unit. Alli! ance produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Other products include petrochemical feedstocks, home heating oil and anode petroleum coke.

The Lake Charles Refinery is located in Westlake, Louisiana. Its facilities include crude distillation, fluid catalytic cracker, hydrocracker, delayed coker and hydrodesulfurization units. The refinery produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, off-road diesel and jet fuel, along with home heating oil. It owns a 50% interest in Excel Paralubes, a joint venture which owns a hydrocracked lubricant base oil manufacturing plant located adjacent to the Lake Charles Refinery. The Sweeny Refinery is located in Old Ocean, Texas, approximately 65 miles southwest of Houston. Refinery facilities include fluid catalytic cracking, delayed coking, alkylation, a continuous regeneration reformer and hydrodesulfurization units. It produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Other products include petrochemical feedstocks, home heating oil and coke.

The Company�� Merey Sweeny, L.P. (MSLP) owns a delayed coker and related facilities at the Sweeny Refinery. Fuel-grade petroleum coke is produced as a by-product and becomes the property of MSLP. The Company owns 50% operating interest in Sweeny Cogeneration, a joint venture, which owns a simple cycle, cogeneration power plant located adjacent to the Sweeny Refinery. The plant generates electricity and provides process steam to the refinery, and it also provides merchant power into the Texas market.

The Company�� Wood River Refinery is located in Roxana, Illinois, about 15 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri, at the convergence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Operations include three distilling units, two fluid catalytic cracking units, hydrocracking, coking, reforming, hydrotreating and sulfur recovery. The refinery produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline,! diesel a! nd jet fuel. Other products include petrochemical feedstocks, asphalt and coke. Its Borger Refinery is located in Borger, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle, approximately 50 miles north of Amarillo. The refinery facilities consist of coking, fluid catalytic cracking, hydrodesulfurization and naphtha reforming, in addition to a 45,000-barrels-per-day NGL fractionation facility. It produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as coke, NGL and solvents.

The Ponca City Refinery is located in Ponca City, Oklahoma. It is a high-conversion facility, which includes fluid catalytic cracking, delayed coking and hydrodesulfurization units. It produces a range of products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and anode-grade petroleum coke. The Billings Refinery is located in Billings, Montana. Its facilities include fluid catalytic cracking and hydrodesulfurization units. The Ferndale Refinery is located on Puget Sound in Ferndale, Washington, approximately 20 miles south of the United States-Canada border. Facilities include a fluid catalytic cracker, an alkylation unit, a diesel hydrotreater and an S-Zorb unit. The Los Angeles Refinery consists of two linked facilities located about five miles apart in Carson and Wilmington, California. The San Francisco Refinery consists of two facilities linked by a 200-mile pipeline. The Santa Maria facility is located in Arroyo Grande, California, about 200 miles south of San Francisco.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company marketed gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel through approximately 8,250 marketer-owned or -supplied outlets in 49 states. At December 31, 2011, its wholesale operations utilized a network of marketers operating approximately 6,875 outlets that provided refined product offtake from its refineries. In addition to automotive gasoline and diesel, it produces and markets aviation gasoline, which is used by smaller piston engine aircrafts. As December 31, 2011,! aviation! gasoline and jet fuel were sold through dealers and independent marketers at approximately 875 Phillips 66-branded locations in the United States.

The Company manufactures and sells automotive, commercial and industrial lubricants, which are marketed worldwide under the Phillips 66, Conoco, 76 and Kendall brands, as well as other private label brands. It also manufactures Group II and import Group III base oils and market both globally under the respective brand names Pure Performance and Ultra-S. It manufactures and markets graphite and anode-grade petroleum cokes in the United States and Europe for use in the global steel and aluminum industries. It also manufacture and market polypropylene to North America under the COPYLENE brand name. Its ThruPlus Delayed Coker Technology, a process for upgrading heavy oil into higher value, light hydrocarbon liquids, was sold in June 2011. In October 2011, it sold Seaway Products Pipeline Company to DCP Midstream. In December 2011, the Company sold its 16.55% interest in Colonial Pipeline Company and its 50% interest in Seaway Crude Pipeline Company. The Company manufactures and sells a variety of specialty products, including pipeline flow improvers and anode material for high-power lithium-ion batteries. Its specialty products are marketed under the LiquidPower and CPreme brand names.

The Company owns four refineries outside the United States: the Humber Refinery, Whitegate Refinery, Melaka Refinery and Wilhelmshaven Refinery. The Humber Refinery is located on the east coast of England in North Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. It is an integrated refinery, which produces a high percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline and diesel. Humber�� facilities encompass fluid catalytic cracking, thermal cracking and coking. The refinery has two coking units with associated calcining plants, which upgrade the heaviest part of the crude barrel and imported feedstocks into light oil products and graphite and anode petroleum cokes.

!

Th! e Whitegate Refinery is located in Cork, Ireland. The refinery primarily produces transportation fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and fuel oil, which are distributed to the inland market, as well as being exported to Europe and the United States. It also operate a crude oil and products storage complex consisting of 7.5 million barrels of storage capacity and an offshore mooring buoy, located in Bantry Bay, about 80 miles southwest of the refinery in southern Cork County.

The Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein GmbH (MiRO) Refinery, located on the Rhine River in Karlsruhe in southwest Germany, is a joint venture in which it owns an 18.75% interest. Facilities include three crude unit trains, fluid catalytic cracking, petroleum coking and calcining, hydrodesulfurization units, reformers, isomerization and aromatics recovery units, ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) and alkylation units. MiRO produces a percentage of transportation fuels, such as gasoline and diesel. Other products include petrochemical feedstocks, home heating oil, bitumen, and anode- and fuel-grade petroleum coke. The Wilhelmshaven Refinery is located in the northern state of Lower Saxony in Germany, and has a 260,000 barrels-per-day crude oil processing capacity.

As of December 31, 2011, the Company had approximately 1,430 marketing outlets in its European operations, of which approximately 900 were Company-owned and 330 were dealer-owned. It also held brand-licensing agreements with approximately 200 sites. Through its joint venture operations in Switzerland, it also has interests in 250 additional sites.

Midstream

The Midstream segment purchases raw natural gas from producers, including ConocoPhillips, and gathers natural gas through pipeline gathering systems. Its Midstream segment is primarily conducted through its 50% investment in DCP Midstream. DCP Midstream also owns or operates 12 NGL fractionation plants, along with propane terminal facilities and NGL pipeline assets. It has a 25% inte! rest in R! ockies Express Pipeline LLC (REX).

Chemicals

The Chemicals segment consists of its 50% investment in CPChem. As of December 31, 2011, CPChem owned or had joint-venture interests in 38 manufacturing facilities. CPChem�� business is structured around two primary operating segments: Olefins & Polyolefins (O&P) and Specialties, Aromatics & Styrenics (SA&S). The O&P segment produces and markets ethylene, propylene, and other olefin products, which are primarily consumed within CPChem for the production of polyethylene, normal alpha olefins, polypropylene and polyethylene pipe. The SA&S segment manufactures and markets aromatics products, such as benzene, styrene, paraxylene and cyclohexane, as well as polystyrene and styrene-butadiene copolymers.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joel South]

  Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX  ) has been nothing short of spectacular since splitting off fromConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP  ) earlier this year. The refiner has made our list of top performing energy stocks in 2012 with a stock price appreciation of 60% year to date. While the sector as a whole was buoyed by access to cheap WTI oil in North America, Phillips 66 stands out as a long-term winner by using excess cash flows to build out its successful chemicals and midstream division. Shareholders have been adequately rewarded while the company increased its dividend twice this past year, in addition to enacting a lofty $2 billion share repurchasing program. 

  There are many different ways to play the energy sector, and our analysts have uncovered an under-the-radar company that's dominating its industry. This company is a leading provider of equipment and components used in drilling and production operations, and poised to profit in a big way from it. To get the name and detailed analysis of this company that will prosper for years to come, check out our special free report: "The Only Energy Stock You'll Ever Need." Don't miss out on this limited-time offer and your opportunity to discover this under-the-radar company before the market does. 

Top Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.(CLF)

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., a mining and natural resources company, produces iron ore pellets, lump and fines iron ore, and metallurgical coal products. The company operates six iron ore mines in Michigan, Minnesota, and eastern Canada; two iron ore mining complexes in Western Australia; five metallurgical coal mines located in West Virginia and Alabama; and one thermal coal mine located in West Virginia. It also owns a 45% economic interest in a coking and thermal coal mine located in Queensland, Australia; and a 30% interest in Amapa, a Brazilian iron ore project in Latin America, as well as chromite properties in Ontario, Canada. The company, formerly known as Cleveland-Cliffs Inc, was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sam Collins]

  Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF ), formerly Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., is an international mining and natural resources company that produces iron ore pellets and metallurgical coal. CLF should benefit from a strong market position in North America and a platform for expansion to Asia.

  Technically the stock is in a powerful bull market, holding above both its bullish support line and 200-day moving average . Within the past month, two buys signals were triggered from our internal indicator, the Collins-Bollinger Reversal (CBR), and on Sept. 27, the stochastic issued a buy signal. The technical target for CLF is $75. S&P rates the stock a "four-star buy" with a 12-month target of $78.

• [By Michael]

  Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE:CLF) also had a great February, and finished up 48% for the month. The company reported fourth quarter of 2009 earnings of $0.75 per share, beating analystestimates of $0.39. The momentum from this positive earnings surprise carried the stock for the rest of the month.

Top Energy Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Hanwha SolarOne Co. Ltd.(HSOL)

Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd., an investment holding company, engages in the manufacture and sale of silicon ingots, silicon wafers, and PV cells and modules. The company also offers mono crystalline and multi crystalline silicon cells; and provides PV module processing services. It sells its products to solar power system integrators and distributors primarily in Germany, Italy, Australia, the United States, the Czech Republic, Spain, and China. The company was formerly known as Solarfun Power Holdings Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. in December 2010. Hanwha Solarone Co., Ltd. was founded in 2004 and is based in Qidong, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sherry Jim]

  Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd.(NASDAQ: HSOL) closing price in the stock market Tuesday, Jan. 3, was $1.06. HSOL is trading -15.30% below its 50 day moving average and -67.04% below its 200 day moving average. HSOL is -89.16% below its 52-week high of $9.78 and 16.48% above its 52-week low of $0.99. HSOL‘s PE ratio is 1.64 and its market cap is $89.18M.

  Hanwha SolarOne Co., Ltd. is an investment holding company which engages in the manufacture and sale of silicon ingots, silicon wafers, and PV cells and modules. HSOL also offers mono crystalline and multi crystalline silicon cells; and provides PV module processing services.