Resource and commodity stocks in general should make up only a limited portion of your portfolio—say less than 20% for a conservative investor or as much as 30% for an aggressive investor. And as part of that segment, energy stocks could make up, say half of that total. The rest could be fertilizer stocks, mining stocks and so on.
Oil and gas stocks have been below-average performers lately, and many investors are tempted to get out of the industry altogether. However, the energy sector can play a crucial role in your portfolio as a hedge against inflation. The low inflation rates of the past couple of decades deserve some of the blame for the poor performance of the sector. However, energy stocks will likely rebound in years to come as the global economy recovers.
- Invest mainly in well-established companies;
- Spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; Consumer; Finance; Utilities);
- Downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight.
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Demand for Major Drilling’s specialized services has now mostly recovered. Meanwhile, Computer Modelling is benefiting from expanding oil and gas drilling in response to overall higher energy prices. We think there are still gains ahead for both stocks.
MAJOR DRILLING, $9.68, is a buy. This large contract driller (Toronto symbol MDI; TSINetwork: Speculative) (majordrilling.com; Shares outstanding: 82.1 million; Market cap: $794.7 million; No dividends paid) is an industry player, mainly serving miners.
In the quarter ended January 31, 2024, the company’s revenue fell 11.0%, to $132.8 million from $149.2 million a year earlier....
IMPERIAL OIL LTD....
METRO INC., $71.12, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol MRU; Shares outstanding: 227.0 million; Market cap: $16.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.9%; www.metro.ca) will close its produce distribution centre based in Ottawa in May....
We recommend that most investors maintain some exposure to the oil and gas industry as part of a balanced portfolio. That’s mainly because it offers a hedge (some protection) against inflation.
To further cut your risk, you should focus mainly on high-quality producers, like Chevron, with large reserves in politically stable countries....
The shares of oil and gas stocks remain high as energy demand stays strong. We continue to recommend that most investors maintain some exposure to the oil and gas industry as part of a balanced portfolio. But, to cut risk, you should stick with producers that have positive cash flow even in times of low energy prices....
The company’s shares have soared as it has now agreed to a takeover bid from Chord Energy (symbol CHRD on Nasdaq).
Enerplus shareholders will get 0.10125 shares of Chord and $1.84 U.S....