Companies are getting good at hydraulic fracturing -- real good. Just look at the turnaround in America's oil production over the past couple years for proof. One way companies have extracted more from each well is through drastically increasing the amount of proppant pumped into the well, and the demand for that material has sent revenues at US Silica Holdings (SLCA -0.93%) and Hi-Crush Partners (HCRS.Q) through the roof in recent years. It has also led companies sucgh as Emerge Energy Services (NYSE: EMES) and Carbo Ceramics (CRR) to rapidly ramp up production of fracking proppant to keep up with demand.
The following slideshow is an overview of how the rapid increase in oil production has created a massive boom for proppant producers such as US Silica, Hi-Crush, and Carbo; what we can expect in the future for this fast-growing market; and how each company fits into the world of proppant producers. This will help you to parse out which one is best for your portfolio.
