Taylor Muckerman

A question came to us via Twitter regarding the comparison between domestic and international integrated oil companies. Names such as Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil and BP typically arise in these discussions.

Investors generally feel confident in companies that offer the most insight into current and future business plans. These five exemplify that trait.

Diversification doesn't always work at major companies, but it has certainly been helping sustain growth at E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.

The United States has been reducing its carbon emissions, but other countries have failed to follow suit. Companies like Arch Coal and Peabody Energy still have coal customers adding to their demands in countries like China and India.

Royal Dutch Shell and Total are two of the four companies that threw their names into the Libra field auction till. How will they fare when working with Petrobras and the government of Brazil?

The oil and gas industry is constantly changing which is why companies must remain nimble to survive. Companies like Atwood Oceanics, Core Laboratories, Halcon Resources, Kinder Morgan and National Oilwell Varco are prime examples.

Are companies like Ensco plc, Hercules Offshore, Noble Corp and SeaDrill Limited ready for a pay raise thanks to Mexico's oil and natural gas industry reformation?

A portion of Peabody Energy is dependent on the success of the steel industry. This week, we get a preview of how both have been doing with earnings from Peabody, Steel Dynamics, and Nucor.

Will Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Schlumberger and Weatherford International capitalize on Saudi Aramaco's big spending plans in the oil and natural gas markets?

The top three offshore drillers by market capitalization - Seadrill Limited, Transocean Ltd and Ensco plc - all offer interesting investing choices. We attempt to rank them in this video.

Expectations are for heating bills fueled by natural gas to rise by 13% this winter. Will an investment in Cabot Oil & Gas, Ultra Petroleum and Range Resources help you out?

New projects coming online could keep copper prices suppressed. Are miners like Souther Copper Corp., BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto going to feel the pinch?

Coal companies like Alliance Resource Partners, Alpha Natural Resources, Cloud Peak Energy and Peabody Energy were crushed by low natural gas prices. But what would happen if the tide turned?

Chemical companies like Westlake Chemical Corp and LyondellBasell Industries NV, along with pipeline operators Kinder Morgan, MarkWest Energy Partners and Sunoco Logistics Partners, have been loving this trend.

Refiners like HollyFrontier and CVR Refining could feel the pinch even worse than names like Phillips 66 and Valero.

EOG Resources has been dominant as an independent oil & natural gas producer and should continue widening the gap.

Core Laboratories NV was one our top picks for 2013, and it looks like the company's momentum should carry right on to 2014. Here's why it has outperformed peers like Halliburton and Schlumberger so mightily over the past few years.

FMC Technologies has experienced increased competition from the likes of Cameron International, General Electric and Schlumberger, but the industry likely has room for all.

Stay tuned to Fool.com for our interview series, which will incorporate material from our interviews with CEOs, CFOs and COOs from the likes of Atwood Oceanics, Core Laboratories, Halcon Resources, Kinder Morgan, and National Oilwell Varco.

Our Top 20 is littered with companies operating in the offshore oil space with Ensco beating out Seadrill for the #7 spot on our list.