Wednesday’s trading session turned out to be a decent one for oil and gas refiners and marketers, as most companies posted gains by the closing bell.
Still, with an average earnings multiple at 14.40 for that sector of the energy industry, there are clearly a lot of stocks that are getting top-heavy, and investors might want to have a look at some of the firms who for some reason seem to be getting left behind by the market.
The following five companies were selected according to the following criteria:
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A below-average P/E ratio
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Average analyst recommendation of “buy or better”
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Positive 2014 performance
Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC)
Market-Cap / Price: $28.26 billion / $94.50
P/E Ratio: 14.27
2014 Returns: +3.53
Phillips 66 (PSX)
Market-Cap / Price: $47.88 billion / $80
P/E Ratio: 13.31
2014 Returns: +4.28 percent
Northern Tier Energy LP (NTI)
Market-Cap / Price: $2.51 billion / $27.34
P/E Ratio: 11.20
2014 Returns: +13.02 percent
Valero Energy Corporation (VLO)
Market-Cap / Price: $29.64 billion / $55.29
P/E Ratio: 11.15
2014 Returns: +10.27 percent
Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co. Ltd. ($SHI)
Market-Cap / Price: $2.16 billion / $30.11
P/E Ratio: 10.60
2014 Returns: +5.50 percent
