Top Oil Service Companies To Watch For 2014

Cowen was feeling pretty good about the oil services sector until it surveyed exploration & production firms and found that its original spending estimates were off. Way off. Like a Blaine Gabbert pass.

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As a result, the knives have come out. Cowen’s analysts downgraded six stocks–Baker Hughes (BHI), Cameron International (CAM), Nabors Industries (NBR), CGG (CGG), Superior Energy Services (SPN) and Helmerich & Payne (HP)–and cut their estimates on even more. Its analysts explain why:

Our Original E&P Spending Survey published today estimated just 4% growth globally in E&P spend in 2014. Given our estimates were based upon an 8% gain in 2014 and a similar increase in 2015, we are lowering our estimates for many of the stocks we cover.

As the market digests a slower growth outlook for 2014, we think consensus earnings estimates will come down. It will be difficult for the oil service and drilling stocks to perform well given this scenario. Thus, we are lowering our opinion on six of the stocks we cover.

Top Canadian Companies To Own For 2015: Matador Resources Co (MTDR)

Matador Resources Company is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production and acquisition of oil and natural gas resources in the United States, with an emphasis on oil and natural gas shale and other unconventional plays. Its operations are focused primarily on the oil and liquids-rich portion of the Eagle Ford shale play in South Texas and the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring plays in the Permian Basin in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. The Company also operates in the Haynesville shale and Cotton Valley plays in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas. In addition, it has a large exploratory leasehold position in Southwest Wyoming and adjacent areas of Utah and Idaho where it is testing the Meade Peak shale.

As of December 31, 2012, the Company owned a 100% working interest in approximately 26,900 gross acres and 24,100 net acres in Gonzales, Karnes, LaSalle, Wilson and Zavala Counties and a 50% working interest in approximately 2,800 gross and 1,400 net acres in DeWitt County and are the operator of this acreage. It also owns an approximate 21% working interest in approximately 12,800 gross acres in Atascosa County operated by EOG Resources, Inc.

South Texas

The Company focuses on the exploration and development of its Eagle Ford shale properties in South Texas. During 2012, the Company completed and began producing oil and natural gas from 28 gross/24.5 net operated Eagle Ford shale wells, including 25 gross/23.7 net operated and 3 gross/0.8 net non-operated Eagle Ford shale wells. During 2012, 43% of its daily production, or 3,908 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day, including 3,246 one stock tank barrel (Bbl) of oil per day and 4.0 one million cubic feet of natural gas (MMcf) of natural gas per day, was produced from the Eagle Ford shale in South Texas. During 2012, the Company drilled and completed a total of 32 gross/30.5 net Eagle Ford wells on its operated properties. As of December 31, 2012, its aggregate leasehold int! erests consisted of approximately 42,500 gross acres and 27,900 net acres in the Eagle Ford shale play in Atascosa, DeWitt, Gonzales, Karnes, LaSalle, Wilson and Zavala Counties in South Texas.

Northwest Louisiana and East Texas

During 2012, bout 56% of its average daily production, or 5,042 BOE per day, including 31 Bbl of oil per day and 30.1 MMcf of natural gas per day, was from its leasehold interests in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas. For the year ended December 31, 2012, about 76% of its daily natural gas production, or 26.0 MMcf of natural gas per day, was produced from the Haynesville shale, with another 12%, or 4.1 MMcf of natural gas per day, produced from the Cotton Valley and other shallower formations in this area. As of December 31, 2012, the Company had leasehold and mineral interests in approximately 22,300 gross and 14,200 net acres prospective for the Haynesville shale.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ben Levisohn]

  Heading into today, Matador Resources (MTDR) had gained 40% so far this year, as the competitor to Anadarko Petroleum (APC) and EOG Resources (EOG) has boosted oil & gas revenue and oil production. Make that 32% after Matador Resources announced a secondary offering.

Top Oil Service Companies To Watch For 2014: USA Truck Inc. (USAK)

USA Truck, Inc. operates as a truckload carrier that provides general commodities transportation services in the continental United States, Mexico, and Canada. The company transports full dry van trailer loads of freight from origin to destination. It offers truckload freight services as a short-to medium-haul common carrier, as well as freight brokerage services, rail intermodal services, and third party logistics. The company also provides transportation scheduling, routing, and mode selection services. USA Truck, Inc. offers its services to various industries, such as industrial machinery and equipment, rubber and plastics, retail stores, paper products, durable consumer goods, metals, electronics, and chemicals. As of December 31, 2010, its trucking fleet consisted of 2,363 in service tractors and 6,709 service trailers. The company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Van Buren, Arkansas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  Despite what can best be described as a�soft economy, small cap trucking stocks YRC Worldwide, Inc (NASDAQ: YRCW), Arkansas Best Corporation (NASDAQ: ABFS), Frozen Food Express Industries, Inc (NASDAQ: FFEX), Saia Inc (NASDAQ: SAIA) and USA Truck, Inc (NASDAQ: USAK) have been trucking some pretty impressive returns since the start of the year. In fact, these small cap trucking stocks are up anywhere from 72% to 150% or so since the start of the year despite the slow economy. Certainly trucking stocks provide a good indicator of how the economy is doing, but might investors be�jumping the gun by pushing up these trucking stocks?

Top Oil Service Companies To Watch For 2014: AudioCodes Ltd. (AUDC)

AudioCodes Ltd. and its subsidiaries design, develop, and market products and services for voice, data, and video over Internet protocol (IP) networks to service providers and channels, original equipment manufacturers, network equipment providers, and systems integrators in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Israel. Its networking products consist of media gateways, enterprise session border controllers, multi-service business routers, IP phones, mobile voice over IP (VoIP), media servers, and various products that are tailored for Microsoft unified communication environments. The company also offers VoIP network assessment for enterprises; and value added applications for unified communications, as well as supports its networking products with a range of professional services. Its technology products comprise signal processor chips that process and compress voice, data, and fax, as well as enable connectivity between traditional telephone networks and pa cket networks; VoIP communications boards; media processing boards for enhanced services and functionalities; and voice and data logging hardware integration board products. AudioCodes Ltd. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Lod, Israel.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  AudioCodes (AUDC) and its subsidiaries design, develop and market products and services for voice, data and video over Internet protocol networks to service providers and channels, original equipment manufacturers, network equipment providers and systems integrators in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Israel. Its This stock closed up 8% to $6.73 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $6.23-$6.85
  
  52-Week Range: $2.13-$7.07
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 574,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 261,738

  From a technical perspective, AUDC spiked sharply higher here right above some near-term support at $6.04 with above-average volume. This move also pushed shares of AUDC into breakout territory, since the stock took out some near-term overhead resistance at $6.70. Shares of AUDC are now quickly moving within range of triggering another big breakout trade. That trade will hit if AUDC manages to clear Tuesday's high of $6.85 and then once it takes out its 52-week high at $7.07 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AUDC as long as it's trending above some near-term support levels at $6.25 or $6.04 and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that hits near or above 261,738 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AUDC will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are $8 to $9.

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  AudioCodes (AUDC) designs, develops and sells products and services for voice and data over packet networks. This stock closed up 8.4% to $4.75 in Tuesday's trading session.

  Tuesday's Range: $4.57-$4.86
  
  52-Week Range: $1.20-$5.04
  
  Tuesday's Volume: 493,000
  
  Three-Month Average Volume: 108,175

  From a technical perspective, AUDC gapped higher here right above its 50-day moving average of $4.43 with heavy upside volume. This move is quickly pushing shares of AUDC within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit if AUDC manages to take out its 52-week high at $5.04 with high volume.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in AUDC as long as it's trending above its 50-day at $4.43 or above more support at $4.29 and then once it sustains a move or close above its 52-week high at $5.04 with volume that hits near or above 108,175 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then AUDC will set up to enter new 52-week-high territory, which is bullish technical price action. Some possible upside targets off that breakout are its next major overhead resistance levels at $5.75 to $6.50, or even $7.

Top Oil Service Companies To Watch For 2014: Agenus Inc.(AGEN)

Agenus Inc., a biotechnology company, engages in developing and commercializing technologies to treat cancers and infectious diseases. It offers Oncophage vaccine for the treatment of adjuvant renal cell carcinoma. The company?s products under development include Prophage series of cancer vaccines, which has been tested in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and metastatic melanoma, as well as has been tested in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials in various indications; and under Phase II clinical trials in glioma, a type of brain cancer, and adjuvant renal cell carcinoma. The Prophage series of cancer vaccines include R-series candidates in RCC, M-series candidates in melanoma, and G-series candidates in glioma. Its product candidate portfolio includes QS-21 Stimulon adjuvant, which is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, malaria, and shingles, as well as in for the treatment of va rious infectious diseases and Alzheimer?s disease; and HerpV that completed Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of genital herpes. The company was formerly known as Antigenics Inc. and changed its name Agenus Inc. in January 2011 to reflect its existing product pipeline. Agenus Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]
  Follow-on Stock Offerings From Small Cap Biotech Stocks. Thanks to the boom in biotech IPOs along with the sector�� overall performance, already listed biotechs have the option to ask investors for more cash in the form of a follow-on offering. Recently, FierceBiotech.com noted how four small cap biotechs raised $276 million from follow-on offerings in just one day last week. These small caps�included Epizyme Inc (NASDAQ: EPZM) which raised $88 million, Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc (NASDAQ: HALO) which raised $100 million, Agenus Inc (NASDAQ: AGEN) which raised $52 million and Idera Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: IDRA) which raised $36 million. FierceBiotech.com noted that the�steady flow of about $4.5 billion a year in venture cash�along with�more than $3.5 billion from IPOs last year plus all of the�follow-ons are helping to foster both company growth and�accelerate drug�development programs. Mixed Bag for Biotech IPOs. Last Wednesday also saw two small cap biotech IPOs fizzle in one day�with small cap T cell vaccine developer�Genocea Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: GNCA) raising $60 million but then ending the day down 8.3% to close at $11 while Dutch drug developer uniQure NV (QURE) raised $81.9 million but fell more than 14% to $14.61. However, orphan drug stock Auspex Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ASPX), which is developing�drugs to treat orphan diseases like Tourette syndrome, saw a 30.5% gain to close at $15.66 and raise $84 million. The Boston Globe quoted Michael Ringel, a partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group who focuses on health care business, as saying:

  ��he mood is incredibly positive. Capital is flowing. [The biotech IPOs]��have been burning hot. I think it�� too early to suggest that is changing. I can�� predict the overall economy any better than anyone else, but I would expect a pretty good year for IPOs.��/p>