We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best American Energy Stocks To Buy According to Hedge Funds. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) stands against the other American energy stocks.
The energy industry includes stocks that are involved in the production or supply of energy. Companies engaged in oil and gas drilling, refining, and discovering and developing oil or gas reserves are all part of the energy sector or industry. The energy industry also comprises integrated power utility companies that use renewable energy and coal.
Energy companies continue to suffer challenges as oil supply exceeds demand. Oil prices have been below $70/barrel since early September. According to U.S. Bank Asset Management’s senior investment strategy director, Rob Haworth:
“The oil market is one that remains well supplied but isn’t well demanded.” Although the U.S. economy is strong, other major oil users like China and Germany are experiencing economic challenges. As a result, global demand is lagging.”
Nonetheless, a number of energy companies have made encouraging achievements in 2024, and investors have reaped financial rewards as the energy sector of the broader market has grown by 12.74% since the start of the year. Based on exceptional results in 2021 and 2022, it has increased by 19.89% in just three years and by 10.61% growth over the previous five years.
However, according to RSM’s Energy Outlook 2024 report, the North American energy sector will confront significant potential problems due to a global move toward renewable energy sources, aging infrastructure, and rising electricity consumption. Infrastructure limitations continue to be a major obstacle. Scalability concerns have been brought to light by record U.S. oil and natural gas output as well as a boom in renewable energy, affecting projects like solar farms in California and drilling in Texas. These challenges show how urgently infrastructure modernization investments are needed.
As per the aforementioned report, North America’s demand for electricity has increased to levels not seen in many years. Emerging technologies like green hydrogen, the use of electric vehicles, and growing data centers are important drivers. The use of machine learning and other analytical AI technology is growing among energy companies. This change alters the energy sector and aligns with tax incentives and the company’s environmental, social, and governance goals. Most importantly, integrating clean energy is essential as companies adjust to meet rising demand sustainably.
According to BloombergNEF, $303 billion was spent on U.S. renewable energy in 2023, a 22% increase from the year before, showing the continued pace of the energy transformation. Globally, $1.77 trillion was invested, signifying a strong push toward decarbonization. Even though renewable energy requires more cash, companies of all sizes—from startups to established oil and gas companies—are shifting their focus to renewables as the case for clean energy grows. This change sets up the energy industry for a significant and sustainable future.
Methodology:
We sifted through holdings of Energy ETFs and online rankings to form an initial list of 20 American Energy stocks. Then we selected the 10 stocks that were the most popular among institutional investors. The stocks are ranked in ascending order based on the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as per Insider Monkey’s database of Q3 2024. We have used the stock’s market cap as of November 21, 2024, as a tie-breaker in case two or more stocks have the same number of hedge funds invested.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here)
Aerial view of a major oil rig in the middle of the sea, pumping crude oil.
Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86
Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) tops our list of the best American stocks to buy from the Energy sector. It is an integrated oil and gas company that conducts global oil exploration, production, and refinement. It generated 7.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and 2.4 million barrels of liquids in 2023. Reserves were 16.9 billion barrels of oil equivalent at the end of 2023, with liquids accounting for 66% of total reserves. The company is one of the world’s largest refiners, with a total global refining capacity of 4.5 million barrels of oil per day, as well as a major producer of commodities and specialty chemicals.
Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is still dedicated to oil and gas, even though many of its competitors are shifting investments to renewables in order to meet long-term carbon intensity reduction targets. It has declared emission reduction objectives and reacted to requests to include more external voices on its board. Along with investing in low-carbon technologies, it maintains oil and gas production as the primary focus of these measured efforts. Although investors who care about the environment are unlikely to applaud this approach, it has a higher chance of success and is likely to be less risky.
Industry-leading Q3 earnings of $8.6 billion and substantial year-to-date free cash flow of $26.4 billion with operating cash flow growth of 10.06% YoY demonstrate financial resilience in the face of weaker refining margins. Record liquids output of 3.2 million barrels per day was attained, bolstered by sales of high-value products and $11.3 billion in structural cost savings since 2019. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is positioned as a leader in the energy transition due to its leadership in hydrogen and carbon capture programs, with a $30 billion market opportunity by 2030.
Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management was the largest shareholder in the company from among the funds in Insider Monkey’s database. It owns 29,197,557 shares worth $3.43 billion as of Q3.
Overall XOM ranks 1st on our list of the best American energy stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential for XOM as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than XOM but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.