NEW YORK, NY — (Marketwire) — 09/30/11 — For roughly two months benchmark oil prices have been pulled in opposite directions as analysts and traders try to gauge future petroleum demand. While the stock prices of these oil companies may be more volatile than usual, many of the major oil companies in the sector continue to offer steady dividends. The Bedford Report examines the outlook for companies in the Oil and Gas sector and provides equity research on Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP). Access to the full company reports can be found at:
Abdalla Salem El-Badri, Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), argues that the recent fall in the price of oil has been partly caused by speculation in the oil market. Oil prices took a hit after OPEC sharply revised down its forecast for world oil demand for this year and expected consumption would remain weak in 2012, citing waning economic growth in key industrialized nations and a weak US driving season.
In North America and Europe, demand is way down. Western countries already were expected to see declining demand as their economies struggle to grow. Those concerns grew Wednesday when the U.S. reported unexpectedly large crude supplies and weak gasoline demand.
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ExxonMobil has the strongest position in unconventional oil and gas — more than double its next competitor ConocoPhillips. Exxon–s second-quarter profit jumped 41% on rising production, high oil prices and improved refining margins, as the Texas oil giant greatly ramped up its investment in the U.S. oilpatch. Exxon pays an annual dividend of $1.88 per share for a yield of around 2.6 percent.
ConocoPhillips reported second quarter earnings of $3.4 billion, or $2.41 per share, for the April-June period. That compares with $4.2 billion, or $2.77 per share, for the same part of 2010. ConocoPhillips pays an annual dividend of $2.64 per share for a hefty yield of around 4.1 percent.
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