JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM)’s Top Picks in Oil and Gas Sector

The rise and fall of gasoline prices are always an area of concern for vehicle owners, no matter where in the world you live. As the costs of production companies and the cost of exploration drops the result will continue to favor oil prices. The JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) team has decided to not alter or meddle with the exploration and production stocks until oil prices fall in the $70 to $75 range. JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) research team recently came up with a list of their favorite stocks in the oil exploration and production. These include;

- Anadarko Petroleum Corp (NYSE:APC) is not only JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM)’s top choice, but speculations are it’s also an acquisition target. Anadarko (NYSE:APC) has earned its title as a market leader of oil and gas producers. The company functions in all areas of exploration and production in South America, Africa, Asia and New Zealand. The company pays its investors 1.18% in dividend. JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) has set the company’s price at $114 per stock, the Thomson consensus set it at $120.96. But the actual figures that closed on Wednesday were $89.97.

- EOG Resources Inc (NYSE:EOG) is a top producer of Eagle Ford Shale, with strong holds on Bakken and Permian Basin. It’s a good acquisition option for companies looking to expand in that region. The company recently announced a price fall from $6.9 million to $5 million for completing a well in Leonard shale at the Permian’s Delaware Basin. The investors of the company earn a tiny amount of 0.7% per dividend. JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) set a price target of $109, the consensus was set at $117.03. But actual results on Wednesday were at $92.087.

- Noble Energy Inc (NYSE:NBL) is a market leader with 54 % of its earnings coming from natural gas production. So the company is immune to the oil price fluctuations. It’s a company with high hopes for the future when Mexico will open doors for exploration and production purposes to foreign companies. Nobel (NYSE:NBL) investors are entitled to 1.3% of the dividend. JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) set its price at $76, the consensus thought was of $82.12. Actual figure was of a low $57.13 on Wednesday.

- Pioneer Natural Resources Co (NYSE:PXD) is the owner of over 20,000 locations in the world’s second largest oil reservoir. It’s a big name in the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford with in Texas. The company is known for its low cost and high margins. JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) set price target of $248, the consensus closed at $237.58 but the actual closing was of $178.99 on Wednesday.

- Cimarex Energy Co (NYSE:XEC) is an independent firm operating in the Mid-Continent and Permian Basin of the US. Its plan to action towards success is to generate high economic returns on capital employed and attractive growth per share to cater to shareholder value. The company’s known for its exploration, exploitation as well as acquisitions. It also has high quality production and drilling activities and is expecting a huge return on its oil and gas sales this month. The investors earn a tiny bit of 0.6% dividend. JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) expected $156 per share. The consensus was of $161.76 but the shares on Wednesday closed at $107.44.