Chevron: Our top oil pick

Article Excerpt

Oil prices fell below $30 a barrel in early 2016, but recently have rebounded to over $45. That’s mainly because producers have slowed their output in order to lower their expenses. We expect prices will continue to recover as inventories shrink and demand remains steady. Chevron is among those companies that have cut their operating costs. That has put it in a strong position to expand its profits as oil prices recover. As well, the company’s new liquefied natural gas projects in Australia enhance its long-term appeal. CHEVRON CORP. $106 (New York symbol CVX; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $201.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 4.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.chevron.com) is the second-largest integrated oil company in the U.S. by revenue, after ExxonMobil (New York symbol XOM). Producing oil and natural gas supplies about 25% of Chevron’s revenue. In 2015, its average daily output was 2.62 million barrels (67% oil, 33% gas)— a 2.0% increase from…