5-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Atwood Oceanics (ATW)

5-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Atwood Oceanics

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 165,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, offshore drilling contractor Atwood Oceanics (NYSE: ATW ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Atwood's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Atwood Facts

Headquarters (Founded)	Houston (1968)
Market Cap	$1.7 billion
Industry	Oil and gas drilling
Trailing-12-Month Revenue	$603.66 million
Management	CEO Robert Saltiel (since 2009) CFO James Holland (since 1988)
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years)	27.2%
Compound Annual Revenue and Net Income Growth (Over Past 3 Years)	21.8% and 31.9%
Cash/Debt	$175.8 million / $250 million
Competitors	Transocean (NYSE: RIG ) Diamond Offshore Drilling (NYSE: DO )

Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 99% of the 2,300 members who have rated Atwood believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include mattm712 and tctk1044.

Just last month, mattm712 tapped Atwood as a particularly slick selection:

Currently undervalued due to BP's disaster. The only thing to watch out for in the near-term are changes to drilling regulations and the potential for bigger companies that can't work in the gulf to infringe on [Atwood's] space. Regardless, this is a great buying point and I'm in.

Despite having just one of its 10 rigs located in Gulf of Mexico, shares of Atwood have been beaten down 30% on all of the offshore drilling uncertainty. On a forward P/E basis, Atwood now trades at a noticeable discount to Diamond Offshore (which has far more exposure to the Gulf) and a slight premium to Transocean, which continues to face liability issues related directly to the spill. Of course, CAPS members like tctk1044 are starting to see that seemingly unfair treatment of Atwood as a genuine bargain opportunity:

Atwood is being punished by investors because of BP, and the obvious concern for deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Although it's obvious why investors are shying away, I think this is a great buying opportunity. Like most major tragedies, we will all soon forget about this one and this stock price will level out. Great buying opportunity if you were looking to get in on Atwood.

What do you think about Atwood, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!

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Fool contributor Brian Pacampara owns no position in any of the companies mentioned. Atwood Oceanics is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor selection. The Fool's disclosure policy always gets a perfect score.

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