In its weekly release,
Baker Hughes Company
BKR
reported that the U.S. rig count increased from the prior week.
More on the Rig Count
Baker Hughes’ data, issued at the end of every week since 1944, helps energy service providers gauge the overall business environment of the oil and gas industry.
A change in the Houston-based oilfield service player’s rotary rig count impacts demand for energy services like drilling completion and production, provided by the likes of
Halliburton Company
HAL
,
Schlumberger Limited
SLB
and
Transocean Ltd.
RIG
.
Details
Total US Rig Count Rises:
The count of rigs engaged in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the United States was 475 for the week through Jul 2,higher than the prior-week count of 470. Thus, the tally has increased in three of the past four weeks, thanks to massively improving oil price. Also, the count is the highest since April 2020. Notably, the current national rig count is higher than the year-ago level of 263.
The number of onshore rigs for the week ended Jul 2 totaled 459, higher than the prior-week count of 454. Notably, in offshore resources, 14 rigs were operating, in line with the prior-week count.
US Oil Rig Count Increases:
Oil rig count was 376 for the week ended Jul 2, higher than the prior-week count of 372. Investors should also note that the current tally of oil rigs — far from the peak of 1,609 attained in October 2014 — is also higher than the year-ago figure of 185.
Natural Gas Rig Count Surges in US:
Natural gas rig count of 99 increased from the prior-week count of 98. Moreover, the count of rigs exploring the commodity was higher than the prior-year week’s 76. Per the latest report, the number of natural gas-directed rigs is almost 94% below the all-time high of 1,606 recorded in 2008.
Rig Count by Type:
The number of vertical drilling rigs totaled 16 units, lower than the prior-week count of 19. However, horizontal/directional rig count (encompassing new drilling technology with the ability to drill and extract gas from dense rock formations, also known as shale formations) of 459 compared favorably with the prior-week level of 451.
Gulf of Mexico (GoM) Rig Count In Line:
GoM rig count was 14 units, of which all were oil-directed. The count was in line with the prior-week tally.
Rig Count in Prolific Basins
Permian — the most prolific basin in the United States — recorded a weekly oil rig tally of 237, higher than the prior-week count of 236. Importantly, the tally for oil drilling rigs in the basin increased in four of the prior six weeks. In DJ-Niobrara, the tally for oil drilling rigs increased to 11 from the prior count of nine.
Outlook
The price of West Texas Intermediate crude, trading at more than $75 per barrel mark, has improved drastically from the pandemic-hit April last year, when oil was in the negative territory. With coronavirus vaccines being rolled out at a massive scale, the demand for fuel will possibly improve further. This has paved the way for further rig additions although drilling activities have slowed down as upstream players are focusing mainly on stockholder returns rather than boosting output.
Meanwhile, investors may keep an eye on two energy stocks that are expected to benefit if oil price continues to stay healthy —
Whiting Petroleum Corporation
WLL
and
Earthstone Energ
y, Inc.
ESTE
. While Whiting Petroleum sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Earthstone Energy carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see
the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here
.
Time to Invest in Legal Marijuana
If you’re looking for big gains, there couldn’t be a better time to get in on a young industry primed to skyrocket from $17.7 billion back in 2019 to an expected $73.6 billion by 2027.
After a clean sweep of 6 election referendums in 5 states, pot is now legal in 36 states plus D.C. Federal legalization is expected soon and that could be a still greater bonanza for investors. Even before the latest wave of legalization, Zacks Investment Research has recommended pot stocks that have shot up as high as +285.9%
You’re invited to check out Zacks’ Marijuana Moneymakers: An Investor’s Guide. It features a timely Watch List of pot stocks and ETFs with exceptional growth potential.
Today, Download Marijuana Moneymakers FREE >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.
Click to get this free report