Topic: How To Invest

Hello Pat & Co. What are your thoughts on offshore drillers Atwood Oceanics and Ensco?

Article Excerpt

Atwood Oceanics, $46.27, symbol ATW on New York (Shares outstanding: 64.2 million; Market cap: $2.9 billion; www.atwd.com), operates 13 deepwater drilling rigs, with a 14th scheduled for completion in June 2014. The company’s fleet is modern, so its utilization rates are high, with most of its rigs under contract until 2015. The company mostly drills in foreign waters, including off the coast of West Africa, Australia and elsewhere. The drilling business is highly volatile. It depends not only on oil and gas prices, but also on the supply and demand for rigs among many competitors and customers. However, the long-term outlook for the industry—and the company—is positive, and Atwood trades at a low 8.2 times this year’s forecast earnings of $5.65 a share. The firm has two new rigs scheduled for completion in 2015, which should increase its profits to $7.68 a share. The stock trades at 6.0 times that estimate. Atwood Oceanics is okay for aggressive investors to hold. A: Ensco plc (ADR), $48.90,…