Earnings season continues.....Royal Dutch Shell [RDS.A], Statoil [STO] and Plains Exploration [PXP]

Royal Dutch Shell [RDS.A] Chief Executive Officer Peter Voser commented: “Our industry continues to see significant energy price volatility as a result of economic and political developments. Oil prices have fallen recently but Shell is implementing a long term, competitive and innovative strategy against this volatile backdrop.”

“Shell's underlying CCS earnings were $7.5 billion for the quarter, a 2% increase in CCS earnings per share from the first quarter of 2012. These results were underpinned by Shell's growth projects, an improvement in downstream profitability, and were delivered despite a difficult security environment in Nigeria.”

“Our profits pay for Shell's dividends and investment in new projects to ensure affordable and reliable energy supplies for our customers, and to add value for our shareholders.”

“Shell is investing for profitable growth, whilst maintaining strong capital discipline. We are developing some 30 new projects and maturing a series of further opportunities for investment. So far this year, we’ve seen the growth impact of recent start ups and we took four final investment decisions in petrochemicals, deepwater, and LNG”......Read the entire Shell earnings report.

Statoil [STO] president and CEO Helge Lundfirst announced 1st quarter 2013 net operating income was NOK 38.0 billion. Adjusted earnings were NOK 42.4 billion. "We deliver financial results impacted by lower production and reduced prices. We continue to deliver good industrial progress according to plan. As previously announced, production in 2013 will be lower than in 2012. We are on track to deliver 2 to 3% average annual production growth from 2012 to 2016 and production above 2.5 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2020," says Helge Lund, Statoil's president and CEO.

In addition to the expected lower production in the quarter, production was impacted by operational disruptions at Snøhvit, Troll and Peregrino. Statoil's net operating income was also impacted by a provision related to the Cove Point terminal in the US. Adjusted earnings [5] were down 28% compared to the first quarter 2012. The underlying cost development in the period is stable.

Statoil's cash flows provided by operating activities decreased by 19% compared to the first quarter of 2012, explained by the lower production and reduced prices......Read the entire Statoil earnings report.

Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP) announces 2013 first-quarter financial and operating results. PXP reported first-quarter revenues of $1.2 billion and net income attributable to common stockholders of $22.6 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, compared to revenues of $524.3 million and a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $82.3 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, for the first-quarter of 2012.

The first quarter 2013 net income attributable to common stockholders includes certain items affecting the comparability of operating results. Those items consist of realized and unrealized gains and losses on our mark to market derivative contracts resulting in a net loss of $202.0 million due in large part to higher crude oil forward prices, a $15.5 million unrealized gain on investment in McMoRan Exploration Co. common stock, debt extinguishment costs of $18.1 million, and other items. When considering these items, PXP reports adjusted net income attributable to common stockholders of $139.6 million, or $1.05 per diluted share (a non-GAAP measure), compared to $77.0 million, or $0.58 per diluted share, for the same period in 2012.

A reconciliation of non GAAP financial measures used in this release to comparable GAAP financial measures is included with the financial tables. PXP's 2013 first-quarter daily sales volumes averaged 170.4 thousand BOE per day compared to 87.9 thousand BOE in the first quarter of 2012......Read the entire Plains Exploration earnings report.


Get the service fund managers rely on everyday.....OptionsMD is open!

Exxon May Soar On New Potential In Mexico

Things have been looking great for Exxon Mobil (XOM) lately. Anadarko Petroleum (APC) recently indicated that Exxon may become a partner in Anadarko's Gulf of Mexico operations. Anadarko is already partnered with Plains Exploration & Production Company (PXP) on its deepwater Phobos project in the Gulf, and according to Anadarko Vice President of Investor Relations and Communications, John Colglazier, Exxon may enter the project with up to a 20% working interest, which would reduce Anadarko's interest from 50 to 30%.

In exchange, Anadarko could receive cash and a drilling carry, which would potentially cover the cost of the project's first exploration well. This would be beneficial for Exxon Mobil, and represents just one of the recent successes the company has seen lately. Below, I will show how Exxon's current position within the energy sector makes it a strong investment now.....Looking Deep for Gains

Get our Free Trading Videos, Lessons and eBook today!

PXP Announces Offering Of $500 Million Of Senior Notes

Get Started Trading Now.....With 10 FREE Trading Lessons

Plains Exploration & Production Company (NYSE: PXP) announced today that it intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $500 million of Senior Notes due 2019 in an underwritten public offering. The offering will be made under PXP's shelf registration statement, which became effective immediately upon filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 5, 2010.

Net proceeds from the offering are expected to be used to repay amounts outstanding under PXP's senior revolving credit facility and for general corporate purposes, including the redemption of all $76.9 million aggregate principal amount of PXP's Senior Notes due 2017 that remain outstanding.

This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption of the Senior Notes due 2017. Notice of redemption, if and when given, will be made separately in accordance with the terms of the Senior Notes due 2017.

An electronic copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus may also be obtained at no charge at the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Visit the Plains Exp. and Prod. investors Page for more info

Everything You Need To Know About Trading You Learned In Kindergarten

You ARE a Hedge Fund Manager.....So What Are The Most Successful Managers Buying?

Sometimes we don't see it, but every one of you reading this that have taken the step to manage your own money, your own fund....you are a hedge fund manager [you are hedging, aren't you?]. And like any business, yes you are in business to make yourself money, you should look at what your peers are buying.

Two of my favorite sites are Insider Monkey and Guru Focus. How can you even think about adding crude oil and energy stocks to your portfolio without looking at what the most successful people in our industry are buying.

I will let you do your own research, but I have been surprised at some of the small american producers that are showing up in the portfolios of the "great oil minds". Names like Plains Exploration and Production Company, ticker PXP, Sandridge Energy ticker SD, Murphy Oil Corp. ticker MUR and Gastar Exploration ticker GST. Gastar? A small company that just received permits to drill in Utah and should producing oil by October.

Markets are closed and it's a slow news period for the Labor Day weekend so take some time and see what these guys are buying.

California Nixes PXP's Offshore Tranquillon Ridge Project

Plains Exploration & Production Company ("PXP") has announced an update on its Tranquillon Ridge (T-Ridge) project. On July 24, 2009, despite support of California Governor Schwarzenegger and bipartisan approval by the California State Senate, the California State Assembly failed to approve legislation authorizing a path forward for PXP's T-Ridge project. Support for T-Ridge has come from Santa Barbara County, the California State Senate, the Governor and a large environmental coalition, including the Environmental Defense Center, Trust for Public Land, and "Get Oil Out", as well as firefighters and peace officers throughout the state.....Complete Story