Our top oil pick is still a bargain

Article Excerpt

Chevron recently warned that harsh winter weather in Canada, the U.S. and Kazakhstan hurt its production and earnings in the first quarter of 2014. This is a minor setback, because its output should rise again as the weather improves. The company’s long-term outlook is also bright, particularly because it’s getting ready to start up several major projects that should spur decades of growth. Moreover, the stock continues to trade at attractive multiples to its earnings and cash flow. CHEVRON CORP. $125 (New York symbol CVX; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $237.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 3.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.chevron.com) is the second-largest integrated oil company in the U.S. by revenue, after ExxonMobil (New York symbol XOM). Chevron gets 90% of its earnings by producing oil (67% of total production) and natural gas (33%). The remaining 10% comes from its refineries, petrochemical operations and 8,050 gas stations in the U.S., which operate under the…