November 10, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Ron Struthers of Struthers Resource Stock Report expects the Middle East conflict to widen and eventually propel oil prices much higher. It is also possible that Arab states could deploy an oil embargo. Callon Petroleum is cheap and would be a prime benefactor. With the uncertainty, it is a good idea to take profits in tanker stocks.
For about two years now, I have been commenting that we have been heading to an era like the 1970s called ‘stagflation.’ It means a period of slow or no growth and rising prices (inflation).
In Canada, we are already deeply in it with a recession, two-quarters of no GDP growth, and, in fact, it has contracted a bit and high inflation. Growth in the U.S. economy has been better, but it will be slowing, and inflation is still high.
The Middle East conflict guarantees much slower growth and much higher inflation, too. From all the info I gather from my intelligent sources, I strongly believe the Middle East will most likely develop into a large regional war. That said, keep in mind it is a very unpredictable region.
The Brief High-Level Overview Goes Like This
Israel is committed to putting an end to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The casualties to Palestine/Arab civilians are already very high and will get much worse as long as Israel continues on a path to expel Hamas, and all indications say they will continue.
At some point, the cries will be so loud it is going to cause a breaking point, and Arab factions (terror groups) in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran will enter the war. The U.S. has vowed that if they do, they will come to the aid of Israel.
The U.S. will not want to but will have no choice. The Middle East has come a long way militarily in 20 years since the U.S. swept Iraq. This time around, the U.S. will lose planes and ships, and that will shock the world.
In retaliation to U.S. and the West, oil shipments from the Middle East will probably get shut in, and oil will go to US$200 and more. Plus, the U.S. would probably wipe out all Iranian oil infrastructure.
It could get way worse if other Arab countries, like Egypt, Turkey, etc., enter the war. Then there could be a real risk of Israel losing, but let’s hope, and there is no sense going there yet. What I describe above will be bad enough. It could end up much like the 1970s conflicts with 100,000s of deaths. Once again, it seems the 1970s comparison comes up again. That was the last time many Arab countries teamed up against Israel.
Scenario 2 – an Oil Embargo
This could happen very quickly. A peaceful action could involve Arab countries getting together in the Middle East and stopping all oil shipments to Israel, the West, U.S., and those supporting Israel.
There is nothing the U.S. could do to stop this. This also happened in the 1970s, when Arab countries responded to the Israel Yom-Kippur war. Oil tripled in a few months from US$3 to US$12.
This time around, oil would easily top US$200 per barrel from the current US$90 area. Oh, but the U.S. is an oil exporter now, so most have been brainwashed.
Yes, they export oil and import oil, but the net of it is that the U.S. consumes about 20 million barrels/day and only produces about 13 million barrels.
The U.S. is an oil guzzler as their almost 20 million barrels per day is 20% of world consumption, around 100 million barrels per day.
I have heard nothing in mainstream media mentioning an oil embargo. It could come as a big surprise. And what would one might do so the embargo has maximum effect?
First off, you could destroy the U.S. Strategic Oil Reserve check. The Biden Administration has already done this by draining it down to just 17 days of supply.
Second, you might peacefully export as much oil out of the U.S., first. At least 48 VLCC tankers are sailing towards the United States to collect oil for exports, the highest in six years, as U.S. exports are set to reach new all-time highs over the winter months. This could just be mostly headed for Europe for the winter months, but nonetheless, the timing seems precise. The U.S. does not import nearly as much oil from the Middle East as it once did, but Saudi Arabia is still the number two exporter to the U.S. after Canada.
An oil embargo could hurt Europe much more, but regardless, the oil price is a world oil price and would explode upwards no matter the effect on the U.S.
Israel imports all its oil, mostly from Arab countries, but there are other sources if an embargo takes effect. The bigger problem would be a secure port. Israel imports about 220,000 barrels per day, and about 180,000 of that comes through the Askelon terminal, which is near Gaza and has been closed since the October 7 attacks. I expect they will secure this in the coming weeks.
The other huge factor not talked about in the mainstream media is the huge thirst for modern war machines. I had this peace in my October 10 newsletter, and it is worth repeating again. This clip below is from a fossilfuel.com article.
A typical U.S. tank battalion of 348 tanks consumes 2.3 million liters of fuel per day, while an aircraft carrier battle division uses 1.6 million liters, as the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group sent closer to Israel in response to the war.
In general, oil and gas stocks are very cheap, well, for sure, the ones I like. They are out of favor since the 2022 highs and, in many cases, have been heavily shorted. Earnings and revenues have been compared to the 2022 highs, but that will start to change in Q4 2023, when those numbers will be compared to lower Q4 2022 oil prices around US$80 to US$85.
One favorite is:
Callon Petroleum CPE – Recent Price – $32.20
Callon Petroleum (CPE:NYSE) is trading at a cheap 1-year trailing P/E of about 4.0. The stock is at 0.74 ratio to book value and just 1.53 times cash flow, according to Market Watch’s latest numbers.
They reported good quarterly numbers released on November 1.
Third Quarter Highlights:
- Generated US$266.8 million of net cash provided by operating activities
- Adjusted free cash flow of US$48.3 million, marking 14 consecutive quarters of adjusted free cash flow generation
- Total production was in line with expectations and averaged 7 MBoe/d (79% liquids), while oil production averaged 58.0 MBbls/d
- Capital expenditures of US$251 million were at the low end of guidance
- Repurchased US$15 million in common stock during the quarter
- Closed Eagle Ford sale and Percussion acquisition, recently commencing production from a five-well project on the Percussion acreage
- Completed land transactions to increase working interest and allow for capital-efficient longer laterals
Financial Results
Callon reported a third-quarter 2023 net income of US$119.5 million, or US$1.75 per share (all share amounts are stated on a diluted basis), and adjusted EBITDAX of US$342.2 million.
Adjusted income was US$123.9 million, or US$1.82 per share. The company generated US$266.8 million of net cash provided by operating activities in the third quarter. Total operational capital expenditures for the quarter were US$251 million.
The short position has about doubled this year and was last reported at 13.2 million shares short and about 25% of the float. This is an excessively short position and could help propel a strong rally.
On the chart, the downtrend (blue lines) was broken this summer, and a higher high in September indicates a new bull trend. Currently, with RSI near 20, the stock is way oversold.
I have decided to sell our tanker stock, DHT, because we have some very good gains, and I am uncertain what could happen when the Middle East situation worsens. Right now, tanker rates are pretty good because there is a rush for bookings ahead of further Middle East problems.
DHT Holdings NY:DHT Recent Price – $10.25 Entry Price – $7.45 Opinion – sell
DHT Holdings Inc. (DHT:NYSE)
We have a very nice 38% gain since we bought in October 2022 and have collected an even US$1.00 in dividends during that time. That gives a total return of +51%.
DHT Holdings Inc. (DHT:NYSE) reported Q3 2023 results on November 6. The company achieved average combined time charter equivalent earnings of US$42,500 per day, comprised of US$35,500 per day for the company’s VLCCs on time-charter and US$44,700 per day for the company’s VLCCs operating in the spot market.
The result for the company’s VLCCs operating in the spot market, measured on a discharge-to-discharge basis, was US$42,300 per day for the third quarter of 2023.
Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2023 was US$67.4 million. Net profit for the quarter was US$31.0 million, which equates to US$0.19 per basic share. The 19 cents will be paid as a dividend with a record date of November 21.
The stock is up near decade highs and has seen a nice run, so let’s take the profits and run!
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