The market was down 6.6% yesterday, the biggest one-day loss since 2008, and 13.5% over the past week. Intelligent investors must question whether the world is actually 10% worse the past week or if this is just fear run amok. In my opinion, it is the latter; the fear was best exemplified by a great CNN headline: "Sell First, Ask Questions Later." In any case, financials led the way yesterday with a 10% loss, followed by the energy sector with an 8.3% loss. After surveying the wreckage, there are some compelling buys out there. Read along, and I'll reveal seven stocks you can buy now.
Shipping:
DryShips
Second, DryShips plans on spinning off its Ocean Rig business in the next year or so. The company sold a 22% stake to investors in December for $500 million, valuing the oil rig business at just under $2.3 billion. Last week, the company announced it would do a partial spinoff of 2% of Ocean Rig in September, followed by a full spinoff at some point in the future.
The stock is down nearly 40% in the past month. At this level, while the risks are high -- the company has a huge $2.9 billion debt load -- the potential rewards are high enough to warrant a speculative position. This company could go to zero or be a 10-bagger. I wouldn't risk any money I wasn't willing to lose, but it is surely worth a small position.
- Add DryShips to your watchlist.
Teekay LNG Partners LP
- Add Teekay LNG Partners to your watchlist.
Natural gas:
Chesapeake Energy
Ultra Petroleum has some of the lowest costs in the industry and a very strong management team. As other companies struggle with $4/mcf natural gas prices, Ultra's $2.68/mcf cost allows it to profit while others have to adapt. Over the last five years, Ultra has increased its proved reserves at 17% annualized, and its production at 24% annualized. In the past week, Ultra has fallen just more than 10%, so I think it's a good time to add shares.
Unlike Ultra, Chesapeake Energy has had to adapt. The company has large acreage positions in almost every big field in the U.S., which should support future production growth for quite some time. The company has been shifting its production focus from natural gas to natural gas liquids and oil. Under investor criticism, the company announced a strategy to raise its share price by increasing production to increase cash flow and selling assets to reduce debt. While Chesapeake doesn't have the lowest costs, for the price shares are trading at, the stock provides a good risk/reward ratio.
- Add Ultra Petroleum and Chesapeake Energy to your watchlist.
Oil:
SandRidge
- Add SandRidge to your watchlist.
Infrastructure:
Tenaris
When I wrote about it before, I noted that Tenaris was not particularly cheap, trading at roughly 22 times earnings. In the past month, the stock has fallen over 25%, and its $1.2 billion in earnings now leave the stock with a much more reasonable P/E of 16.5. Tenaris' direct exposure to the OCTG business should allow its investors to best cash in on the pipeline boom.
- Add Tenaris to your watchlist.
My seventh energy stock to buy now
My last energy idea is really a combination of two stocks. Last month, besides Tenaris, I highlighted a second stock to profit from the pipeline boom. One week later, news broke that the company I chose will be acquired by one of my other favorite energy companies. We've profiled that acquirer in a free report: "The Only Energy Stock You'll Ever Need." To find out the name of my seventh stock to buy now, click here to grab a copy of that report, absolutely free.