CIMAREX ENERGY $30.94 (New York symbol XEC; SI Rating: Extra Risk) (303-295-3995; www.cimarex.com; Shares outstanding: 83.3 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion) is an oil and gas explorer and producer that mainly operates in the U.S. Natural gas makes up 69% of its production. Cimarex has properties in western Oklahoma; Kansas; the upper Gulf Coast regions of Texas and southern Louisiana; the Permian Basin area of western Texas; and the Gulf of Mexico. The company’s natural-gas production averaged 489 million cubic feet equivalent per day in the latest quarter, up 3% from a year earlier. In the three months ended March 31, 2009, Cimarex’s cash flow per share fell 60.3%, to $1.63 from $4.11. The company’s shares trade at just 4.7 times its forecast 2009 cash flow. Its $712.7-million long-term debt is a manageable 27% of its market cap. Cimarex will spend over $500 million on exploration and development this year. It balances its drilling between its lower-risk mid-continent and Permian Basin properties and its higher-risk Gulf Coast and Gulf of Mexico projects. In the latest quarter, Cimarex drilled 41 wells and had a 95% success rate. Cimarex is a buy for aggressive investors.