Exxon Mobil: New Highs On Utica Shale, Rosneft In 2013

By Jeff Williams:As costs have increased and margins are expecting to decrease, oil and gas majors including Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) (RDS.B) have released their first profit warn

By Dividend Kings:Falling, or rather plunging, natural gas prices have been hard on natural gas stocks and even big diversified energy stocks like Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) are feeling some of the pain, thanks to having exposure to natural gas. However, Exxon Mobil has remained resolute in its focus on natural gas for the long term, which begs the question: should investors be concerned about that?

BP reported a sharp drop in fourth-quarter profits on Tuesday partly due to weakness in its refining business, providing more evidence of difficult times across the “big oil” sector. BP’s results, hit by tough conditions in U.S. refining and partly offset by strong contributions from its stake in Russia’s Rosneft, highlighted the industry’s struggle to increase profits in the face of rising costs.

Encana Corp, Canada’s largest natural gas producer, said it would boost liquids production by 30% in 2014 as part of new Chief Executive Doug Suttles’ plan to focus spending on regions rich in gas liquids and oil. The company will focus three-quarters of its planned 2014 capital spending of $2.4-billion to $2.5-billion on five shale regions in western Canada and the U.S. south and southwest.

By Dutch Trader: In my article "Royal Dutch Shell Is Still A Buy," I already mentioned that companies such as Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) still provide a downside hedge against future oil price weakness. In this context, the company provides an interesting combination of low valuation and high dividend yield.

By Ray Merola:Since late 2012, I have been tracking and analyzing Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) (RDS.B) performance versus its management's plan (the "Plan") to improve cash flow and shareholder returns. As part of a series of Seeking Alpha articles, I offer a 2013 third quarter update. The 2012-2015 Plan

By Steven Dotsch:Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), the largest company in the FTSE 100 and one of the world's "supermajor" oil companies, reported its third-quarter results earlier this week.