Sinopec: A Bullish Signal For Long-Term Investors

By Morningstar: By Robert Bellinski

By Ron Sommer: The decline in the price of oil and gas at the well has not been good for the exploration companies nor have consumers seen any benefit. However, the refiners are reaping the benefits of lower raw material costs. Two refiners that stand out are Delek US Holdings (DK) and Western Refining (WNR).

By Income Hunter:One of what is consider super majors in the oil and gas industry, ConocoPhillips (COP) has interests in the exploration and production, refining, marketing and distribution of petroleum products.

By Bret Jensen:With oil continuing to be priced in the high nineties for WTI (West Texas Intermediate crude) and even higher for Brent, major integrated oil firms seem to have good prospects at these valuations. One of my favorites that has major upside is Hess (HES).

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec) , Asia’s largest oil refiner, will buy half of Chesapeake Energy Corp’s Mississippi Lime oil and gas properties for $1.02 billion, becoming the latest Chinese company to pick up shale assets in North America. Chesapeake shares were up 2% at $20.90 in premarket trading on Monday. The stock has risen about 23% this year. Output from shale fields in the United States and Canada has jumped over the last three years due to the advent of drilling methods such as hydraulic fracturing.

Exxon Mobil Corp, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, on Friday reported a higher-than-expected 6% increase in quarterly profit on stronger results at its chemical and refining businesses. The Irving, Texas company said profit in the fourth quarter was $9.95 billion, or $2.20 per share, compared with $9.4 billion, or $1.97 per share, in the same period a year earlier. Analysts on average expected a profit of $2.00 per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Ray Merola submits:Despite some ugly market action, I continue to troll around for values. An interesting stock is Hess Corporation (HES) currently trading under $69 a share. Hess Corporation: One Year Chart and Volume

Rougemont submits: With oil and energy stocks surging, it's harder (but not impossible) to find companies with reasonable valuations and growth prospects. Total (TOT) is a major integrated oil company, based in France, with operations worldwide. Their operations include exploration and production of natural gas and oil, refining of crude, manufacturing of specialty chemicals, and they operate thousands of retail gas stations.