Top 10 Energy Companies To Watch For 2014

Investors are always looking for the next big thing. What's the latest growth trend? Where will consumers spend their money over the next decade?

Electric vehicles may very well be one of the biggest growth trends over the next 10 years. And if any company is positioned to benefit from this trend, it's Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA  ) . But does this probable development automatically make Tesla stock an excellent investment for�your�money? And is searching for the latest popular growth trend really the best way to find great investment opportunities?

The naysayers
In 2012, the electric-vehicle pessimists were prolific. In 2013, they may be fewer, but they are still beating their drum.

In the October 2012 presidential debate, Mitt Romney listed Tesla�among the "losers" in green energy that the Obama administration supported with "breaks." Little did Romney know that less than a year later Tesla would repay its 2010 loan from the Department of Energy nine years early. The U.S. taxpayer came out with a nice $20 million profit on the deal.

Top 5 Telecom Companies To Watch For 2015: Pioneer Energy Services Corp (PES)

Pioneer Energy Services Corp., formerly Pioneer Drilling Company, incorporated in 1979, provides drilling and production services to independent oil and gas exploration and production companies throughout much of the onshore oil and gas producing regions of the United States and internationally in Colombia. The Company operates in two segments: Drilling Services Division and Production Services Division. The Company�� Drilling Services Division provides contract land drilling services. The Company�� Production Services Division provides a range of services to oil and gas exploration and production companies. On December 31, 2011, the Company acquired Go-Coil, LLC.

Drilling Services Division

The Company�� Drilling Services Division provides contract land drilling services with its fleet of 64 drilling rigs in South Texas, East Texas, West Texas, North Dakota, North Texas, Utah, Appalachia and Colombia. As of February 10, 2012, 55 drilling rigs are operating under drilling contracts, 44 of which are under term contracts. In 2011, the Company established its West Texas drilling division location location where it has 18 drilling rigs operating. In addition to its drilling rigs, the Company provides the drilling crews and the ancillary equipment needed to operate its drilling rigs. Its drilling contracts provide for compensation on either a daywork, turnkey or footage basis.

As of February 10, 2012, the Company owned a fleet of 54 trucks and related transportation equipment that it uses to transport its drilling rigs to and from drilling sites. Under daywork drilling contracts, it provides a drilling rig and required personnel to its customer who supervises the drilling of the well. Under a turnkey contract, the Company agrees to drill a well for its customer. It provides technical and engineering services, as well as the equipment and drilling supplies required to drill the well. The Company often subcontracts for related services, such as the provision of cas! ing crews, cementing and well logging. Under footage contracts, it is paid a fixed amount for each foot drilled.

The Company competes with Helmerich & Payne, Inc., Precision Drilling Trust, Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. and Nabors Industries, Ltd.

Production Services Division

The Company�� Production Services Division provides a range of services to oil and gas exploration and production companies, including well services, wireline, coiled tubing and fishing and rental services. Its production services operations are managed through locations concentrated in the United States onshore oil and gas producing regions in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, Rocky Mountain and Appalachian states. The Company provides its services to a diverse group of oil and gas exploration and production companies. Under well services, it provides rig-based well services, including maintenance of existing wells, workover of existing wells, completion of newly-drilled wells, and plugging and abandonment of wells at the end of their useful lives.

The Company provides wireline services in Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Louisiana, West Virginia, Wyoming and Mississippi. The Company�� Coiled tubing is used for a number of horizontal well applications such as milling temporary plugs between frac stages. Its coiled tubing business consists of ten coiled tubing units which are deployed in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. The Company�� rental and fishing tool business provides a range of specialized services and equipment that are utilized on a non-routine basis for both drilling and well servicing operations. It provides rental services out of four locations in Texas and Oklahoma. As of February 10, 2012, the Company had a total of 91 well service rigs. Its well service rig fleet consists of eighty-one 550 horsepower rigs, nine 600 horsepower rigs, and one 400 horsepower rig. As of February 10, 2012, the Company had 109 wireline units in 24 locations.

The Company competes with Key Energy Services, Basic Energy Services, Nabors Industries, Superior Energy Services, Inc,

CC Forbes, Schlumberger Ltd., Halliburton Company, Weatherford International, Baker Hughes, Superior Energy Services, Basic Energy Services, and Key Energy Services, Quail Tools and Knight Oil Tools.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Chuck Carnevale]

  Therefore, risk and earnings growth rates will represent counteracting forces affecting starting or current valuation (PEs). This partially explains why a 3% grower (less risky to achieve) might command the same current valuation PE of, for example, an 11% or 12% grower (riskier and harder to achieve). But this is a critical point; the faster grower will generate a higher future return than the slower grower, ceteris paribas.

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Pioneer Energy Services (NYSE: PES) shares touched a new 52-week high of $11.58. Pioneer Energy shares have jumped 40.39% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 21.92% in the same period.

• [By Chuck Carnevale]

  However, from 2002 to current time we see a conflicting relationship between interest rates and stock prices. In this case, as interest rates continued to decline, stock valuations (PEs) followed suit and declined as well. In theory, this should not happen. Because with interest rates so low, as a practical matter bonds become less competitive to stocks, but even worse, today bonds don�� even offer any real return. This is especially true when you compare blue-chip dividend yields available from stalwarts such as PepsiCo (PEP), Proctor & Gamble (PG), and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), etc., to interest rates. For the first time since I can remember, these companies are offering higher dividend yields than not only the 10-year Treasury but the 30-year as well.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Pioneer Energy Services (NYSE: PES  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Top 10 Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: OriginOil Inc (OOIL)

OriginOil, Inc., incorporated on June 1, 2007, is a technology company. The Company is primarily involved in research and development activities, and sales of pilot and demonstration equipment. The Company has developed an energy production process for harvesting algae and cleaning up oil and gas water. To develop the energy and ancillary markets, the Company sells smaller-scale equipment, such as the Algae Appliance. The Company�� process, CLEAN-FRAC, represents a generation of water treatment that is chemical free. The Company's water cleanup technology, Electro Water Separation (EWS), is a chemical-free process that extracts organic contaminants from large quantities of water. Its products include EWS Algae, EWS Algae A4, EWS Algae A60, EWS Algae A200, EWS Petro P160, and EWS Aqua Q60.

The Company intends to embed its technology into larger systems through licensing and joint ventures. The Company is in the process of pursuing secondary licensing opportunities outside of energy, including aquaculture. EWS Algae A4 is an entry-level algae harvester designed to make it easier and faster for producers and researchers to try and buy the Company's harvesting technology. EWS Algae A60 is a pilot scale algae harvester providing a low energy, chemical-free, continuous flow wet harvest system to dewater and concentrate the microalgae. EWS Petro Model 160 is designed to remove organics, such as crude oil, and suspended solids and bacteria from process water, such as produced or frac flowback water at a continuous flow rate of one barrel per minute or 160 liters per minute in continuous, chemical free operation. EWS Aqua Q60 is a commercial fish farming pond water treatment system, designed to clean pond water of ammonia, bacteria and aquatic animal pathogens in a continuous loop.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, OOIL�has shed (-3.12%) down -0.01 at $.31 with 95,929 shares in play thus far (ref. google finance Delayed: 2:04PM�EDT October 15, 2013).

  OriginOil, Inc. previously reported it has signed its first pay-per-barrel agreement with Industrial Systems, Inc. (ISI) for a water treatment system integrating OriginOil�� process as the first stage of treatment.

  Delta, Colorado-based ISI has agreed that it will operate the Model P160 as part of its overall frac flowback water cleanup service, and pay OriginOil a fee for each barrel processed.

Top 10 Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Dejour Energy Inc (DEJ)

Dejour Energy Inc. is engaged in the business of acquiring, exploring and developing energy projects with a focus on oil and gas exploration in Canada and the United States. The Company holds approximately 113,000 net acres of oil and gas leases in the Peace River Arch of northwestern British Columbia and northeastern Alberta, Canada and the Piceance, Paradox and Uinta Basins in the United States Rocky Mountains. The Company has 71.43% working interest in this 3,014 acre (gross) project located south of Roan Creek. The Company also has 71.43% working interest in this 18,000 acre (gross) project located north of the Rangely Field, is prospective for oil in the Lower Mancos (Niobrara), Dakota, Morrison and Phosphoria formations. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Vancouver, BC, Dec. 16, 2013 — (CRWE Press Release) — Dejour Energy Inc. (NYSE MKT:DEJ) (TSX:DEJ), an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company operating in North America’s Piceance Basin and Peace River Arch regions, today announces that it has signed a Letter of Intent to create a strategic joint venture partnership with a private Singapore based energy company (��ECO�� to develop the company�� Colorado oil and gas assets.

  Upon completion of due diligence, legal documentation and requisite approvals expected prior to January 31, 2014, SECO will invest an initial sum of up to $27.5mm in 2014 and 2015 to earn an 85% share in Dejour�� interests in its Colorado properties, primarily Kokopelli, subject to certain interest claw backs available to Dejour. Following this capital investment by SECO, the partners will continue to judiciously develop the reserves on a pro rata basis.

  The terms of the agreement include a capital injection to Dejour of approximately US$ 4.5mm, including cash and assumption of certain liability agreements on outstanding debt and the 100% development funding of an initial $10.5mm in capital expenditures in 2014 with a further $12mm in 2015, targeting Kokopelli, subject to certain provisions. Additionally, SECO will assume 85% of the ongoing overhead of Dejour�� U.S. operations and joint project management during the initial period. SECO will also share responsibility to maintain the other Dejour U.S. leases in good standing on a pro rata ownership basis or return them to Dejour in a timely fashion. Dejour will remain the operator of record.

  ��ECO shares Dejour�� value proposition relating to the company�� U.S. E&P portfolio. This partnership will bring many strategic advantages to Dejour: minimizing capital requirement in the short term, bolstering the company�� balance sheet and long term US cash flow, the provision of flexibility for Dejour to pursue new

Top 10 Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Sonde Resources Corp (SOQ)

Sonde Resources Corp. (Sonde) is engaged in the exploration for, and acquisition, development and production of, petroleum and natural gas with operations in Western Canada and North Africa. On June 23, 2011, the Company sold its interests in Block 5(c) and the assumption of certain liabilities in respect of the MG Block through the Niko Sale Agreement. On September 23, 2011, the Company acquired a block of producing and non-producing assets in Drumheller from a third party, which includes the bulk of producing interests in the Mannville I oil pool. On January 1, 2012, the Company amalgamated Seeker Petroleum Ltd., Challenger Energy Corp. and Sonde Resources Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. into Sonde Resources Corp. On February 8, 2012, the Company completed the sale of 26,240 gross undeveloped acres (24,383 net acres) in its Kaybob Duvernay play in Alberta. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Udovich]

  While Bakken formation oil and gas stocks have grabbed the attention of�American investors, small cap Alberta or Saskatchewan oil and gas stocks Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd (NYSE: AAV), Sonde Resources Corp (NYSEMKT: SOQ) and up and coming Centor Energy Inc (OTCBB: CNTO) have been largely overlooked as they seek to exploit oil and gas (including oil sands) in the resource rich Canadian provinces of Alberta or Saskatchewan or seek strategic alternatives for their assets in these areas or themselves. It should be mentioned that Canada�� oil reserves are third only to Venezuela and Saudi Arabia with over 95% of these reserves being the oil sands of Alberta plus that province contains much of the country�� conventional oil reserves as well. In addition, the province of Saskatchewan along with offshore areas of Newfoundland contain substantial production and reserves. Excluding oil sands, Alberta would have 39% of Canada�� remaining conventional oil reserves,�followed by�offshore Newfoundland with�28% and Saskatchewan with 27%.

Top 10 Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Apache Corporation(APA)

Apache Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of natural gas, crude oil, and natural gas liquids. The company has exploration and production interests in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf Coast, east Texas, the Permian basin, the Anadarko basin, and the Western Sedimentary basin of Canada; and onshore Egypt, offshore Western Australia, offshore the United Kingdom in the North Sea, and onshore Argentina, as well as on the Chilean side of the island of Tierra del Fuego. Apache Corporation sells its natural gas to local distribution companies, utilities, end-users, integrated oil and gas companies, and marketers; and crude oil to integrated oil companies, marketing and transportation companies, and refiners. As of December 31, 2009, it had total estimated proved reserves of 1,067 million barrels of crude oil, condensate, and natural gas liquids, as well as 7.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The company was founded in 1954 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt DiLallo]

  Further, Eagle Rock was then able to leverage its extended footprint in the Panhandle to add new fee-based gas gathering and processing agreements with other major producers, such as Apache� (NYSE: APA  ) . That deal, which was signed this past March, added 106,000 gross acres as it supersedes and expands the previous agreements, making it a win for both sides. It's this combination of organic and acquired growth that should keep Eagle Rock's income growing for a long, long time.�

Top 10 Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Whitecap Resources Inc (SPGYF.PK)

Whitecap Resources Inc., formerly Spitfire Energy Ltd., is engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids in Western Canada. The Company�� activities are concentrated primarily in Northwest Central Alberta and Southwest Saskatchewan. On July 1, 2010, the Company amalgamated with its wholly owned subsidiary Whitecap Resources Inc. During fiscal 2010, the Company produced an average of 355 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed). On July 12, 2010, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire a private company. The primary assets to be acquired are located in the Pembina region of west central Alberta with production and reserves focused in the Cardium formation. In October 2013, the Company announced that it has completed the acquisition of a Cardium light oil property and a working interest consolidation of its Eagle Lake Viking unit. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Caiman Valores]

  The recent surge in oil prices has renewed investor interest in the small-cap oil and gas E&P sector. One company that stands out for all the right reasons is Canadian domiciled small-cap, Whitecap Resources (SPGYF.PK). Since 2009 the company has unlocked considerable value for investors through a range of acquisitions as well as development and exploration projects. This has seen its share price surge in value to be up by almost 53% over the last year alone. However, it is clear that the market has yet to fully recognize the true value of Whitecap and there is still considerable upside potential of over 30% for investors. This along with Whitecap's dividend growth strategy makes it a particularly appealing deep-value investment in the oil and gas E&P sector.

Top 10 Energy Companies To Watch For 2014: Eagle Rock Energy Partners LP (EROC)

Eagle Rock Energy Partners, L.P. (Eagle Rock) is a limited partnership engaged in the business of gathering, compressing, treating, processing and transporting natural gas; fractionating and transporting natural gas liquids (NGLs); crude oil logistics and marketing; natural gas marketing and trading, known as Midstream Business, and developing and producing interests in oil and natural gas properties, known as Upstream Business. On May 3, 2011, the Company acquired CC Energy II, L.L.C and outstanding membership interests of Crow Creek Energy. On May 20, 2011, it sold the Wildhorse Gathering System in its East Texas and Other Midstream Segment.

Midstream Business

The Company�� Midstream Business is located in four natural gas producing regions: the Texas Panhandle; East Texas/Louisiana; South Texas, and the Gulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2011, these working interest properties included 591 gross operated productive wells and 1,197 gross non-operated wells with net production to the Company of approximately 87.7 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and proved reserves of approximately 234.0 Bcf of natural gas, 11.5 million barrels of crude oil or other liquid hydrocarbons of crude oil, and 11.3 million barrels of crude oil or other liquid hydrocarbons of natural gas liquids, of which 76% are proved developed. As of December 31, 2011, its Midstream Business consisted of Panhandle Segment and East Texas and Other Midstream Segment.

The Company�� Texas Panhandle Segment covers 10 counties in Texas and two counties in Oklahoma. Through the systems within this segment, the Company offers midstream wellhead-to-market services, including gathering, compressing, treating, processing and selling of natural gas, and fractionating and selling of NGLs. As of December 31, 2011, approximately 213 producers and 2,072 wells and central delivery points were connected to the systems in its Texas Panhandle Segment. The Texas Panhandle Segment averaged gathered volumes fo! r 2011 of approximately 155.1 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. As of December 2011, Chesapeake Energy and BP America Production represented 14% and 11%, respectively, of the total volumes of its Texas Panhandle Segment. The Texas Panhandle Segment consists of approximately 3,963 miles of natural gas gathering pipelines, ranging from two inches to 24 inches in diameter; seven natural gas processing plants with an aggregate capacity of 210 million cubic feet of natural gas per day; a propane fractionation facility with capacity of 1.0 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, and two condensate collection and stabilization facilities.

Eagle Rock�� systems in the East Panhandle (northern Wheeler, Hemphill and Roberts Counties, Texas) gather and process natural gas produced in the Morrow and Granite Wash reservoirs of the Anadarko basin. In the Panhandle Segment, natural gas is contracted at the wellhead primarily under percent-of proceeds (which includes percent-of-liquids) fixed recovery, percent-of-index and fee-based arrangements that range from one to five years in term. During the year endede December 31, 2011, it produced over 2,600 equity barrels per day of condensate in the Texas Panhandle Segment. During 2011, it stabilizes approximately 2,000 barrels per day combined at its Superdrip and Cargray Stabilizers.

The Company�� East Texas and Other Midstream Segment operates within the natural gas producing regions, such as East Texas/Louisiana, South Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. Through its Texas/Louisiana region, it offers producers natural gas gathering, treating, processing and transportation and NGL transportation across 21 counties in East Texas and seven parishes in West Louisiana. Its operations in the South Texas region primarily gather natural gas and recover NGLs and condensate from natural gas produced in the Frio, Vicksburg, Miocene, Canyon Sands and Wilcox formations in South Texas. Its operations in the Gulf of Mexico region are non-operated owne! rship int! erests in pipelines and onshore plants which are all located in southern Louisiana. The Gulf of Mexico region also provides producer services by arranging for the processing of producers��natural gas into third-party processing plants, known as Mezzanine Processing Services.

As of December 31, 2011, approximately 705 wells and central delivery points were connected to its systems in the East Texas and Other Midstream Segment. As of December 31, 2011, the East Texas and Other Midstream Segment provides gathering and/or marketing services to approximately 140 producers. During 2011, the East Texas and Other Midstream Segment averaged gathered volumes of approximately 319.9 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. As of December 31, 2011, Stone Energy Corporation and Anadarko Petroleum Company represented 18% and 9%, respectively, of the total volumes of its East Texas and Other Midstream Segment. Residue gas pipelines include Houston Pipeline Company, Natural Gas Pipeline Company, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, Crosstex Energy L.P. and Southern Natural Pipeline.

Upstream Business

The Company�� Upstream Business located in four regions within the United States, such as Southern Alabama, which includes the associated gathering, processing and treating assets; Mid-Continent, which includes areas in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas Panhandle and North Texas; Permian, which includes areas in West Texas, and East/South Texas/Mississippi assets. As of December 31, 2011, these working interest properties included 591 gross operated productive wells and 1,197 gross non-operated wells with net production of approximately 87.7 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and proved reserves of approximately 234.0 Bcf of natural gas, 11.5 million barrels of crude oil or other liquid hydrocarbons of crude oil, and 11.3 million barrels of crude oil or other liquid hydrocarbons of natural gas liquids, of which 76% are proved developed.

The Southern Alabama region includes the! Big Esca! mbia Creek, Flomaton and Fanny Church fields located in Escambia County, Alabama. These fields produce from either the Smackover or Norphlet formations at depths ranging from approximately 15,000 to 16,000 feet. The Big Escambia Creek field encompasses approximately 11,568 gross and 7,334 net Eagle Rock operated acres. It operates 18 productive wells with an average ownership of 60% working interest and 51% net revenue interest in the Big Escambia Creek field. The Fanny Church field is located two miles east of Big Escambia Creek. Its ownership includes approximately 1,284 gross and 999 net operated acres that include three productive operated wells with an average ownership of 86% working interest and 66% net revenue interest. The Flomaton field is adjacent to and partially underlies the Big Escambia Creek field. The field encompasses approximately 1,280 gross and 1,256 net Eagle Rock operated acres and produces from the Norphlet formation at depths from approximately 15,000 to 16,000 feet. It operates three productive wells with an approximate average 91% working interest and 78% net revenue interest. The Smackover and Norphlet reservoirs are sour, gas condensate reservoirs which produce gas and fluids containing a high percentage of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide.

The Mid-Continent region consists of operated and non-operated properties across the Golden Trend Field, Cana Shale play, Verden Field, and other western Oklahoma fields located in the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma, the Mansfield Field and other various fields in the Arkoma Basin in Arkansas and Oklahoma, various fields in the Texas Panhandle, and the Barnett Shale in north Texas. Productive depths range from approximately 2,500 feet in the Arkoma fields of western Arkansas to greater than 18,000 feet in the Springer formation in certain western Oklahoma fields. Its producing field is the Golden Trend field that extends across Grady, McClain and Garvin counties in Oklahoma. It has 14,621 net acres in the Cana Shale play exte! nding acr! oss Canadian, Blaine and Dewey counties, Oklahoma. The Cana Shale produces from horizontal wells drilled to vertical depths of 11,000 - 13,000 feet and extended with horizontal lateral lengths of approximately 5,000 feet. In the total Mid-Continent region, it operate 316 productive wells and own a working interest in an additional 1,054 non-operated productive wells. The average working interest in these productive operated and non-operated wells is 83% and 9%, respectively. The net production averaged approximately 53.2 million cubic feet of natural gas per day during 2011, of which approximately 77% was produced from wells it operated.

The Permian region contains numerous fields, including Block 27, Estes Block 34, H.S.A., Heiner, Monahans N., Payton, Running W., Ward S, and Ward-Estes N. located mainly in Ward, Pecos, and Crane Counties, Texas. These fields are located in the Central Basin Platform which extends from central Lea County in New Mexico to central Pecos County in Texas and encompasses hundreds of individual fields with multiple productive intervals from the Yates-Seven Rivers-Queen through the Ellenburger formations. The Ward County fields contains two major properties, the Louis Richter and the American National Life Ins. Co. leases, and encompasses approximately 10,285 gross and 10,215 net Eagle Rock acres. It operate multiple fields consisting of stacked multi-pay horizons that produce from depths of 2,300 feet (Yates) to 9,100 feet (Pennsylvanian). The Southern Unit is located in the Running W Waddell field and produces predominantly oil at depths from approximately 5,750 to 5,900 feet. It operates approximately 5,875 net acres in this area.

The East/South Texas/Mississippi region includes the Aker, Birch, Edgewood, Eustace, Fruitvale, Ginger and Wesson fields in East Texas, the Jourdanton field in South Texas, and the Chicora W, High Road, and Stafford Springs fields in Mississippi. The East Texas fields produce primarily from the Smackover Trend at depth! s from 12! ,000 to 12,700 feet and encompass approximately 18,991 gross and 15,872 net Eagle Rock acres. It operates 32 productive wells, which produce gas that contains between approximately 30% to 69% of impurities (hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide). The Edgewood field also contains two productive gas wells in the Cotton Valley at depths of 11,500 to 11,600 feet which produce sweet natural gas. The East Texas production, with the exception of a single well, is delivered to the third party owned Eustace Plant for separation of condensate, removal of impurities, and extraction of natural gas liquids and sulfur for a combination of fees and percentage of proceeds.

In South Texas, it operates wells in the Jourdanton field in Atascosa County, Texas. It operates nine productive wells with 100% working interest and 88% net revenue interest. Its production from the field is primarily from the Edwards carbonates (7,300 to 7,400 feet). On December 31, 2011, the Company had under operation 290 gross (261 net) productive oil wells and 301 gross (251 net) productive natural gas wells. On December 31, 2011, Eagle Rock owned non-operated working interests in an additional 148 gross (18 net) productive oil wells and 1049 gross (72 net) productive natural gas wells.

The Company competes with DCP Midstream, LLC and Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P., Crosstex Energy, L.P., Energy Transfer Partners, LP and Enterprise Products Partners, L.P.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  Rounding out the bottom five were�OCI Partners�(NYSE: OCIP), a methanol and ammonia producer (-24 percent YTD),�Natural Resource Partners�(NYSE: NRP), another coal producer (-19 percent), and�Eagle Rock Energy Partners�(NASDAQ: EROC), an oil and gas production partnership (-17 percent).

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  But CLR isn�� the only one drilling the SCOOP and smaller maybe better in the untapped shale play. Two ideal picks could be Eagle Rock Energy Partners (EROC) and Cimarex Energy (XEC).