Shell, Constellation, First Solar among Barron’s roundtable energy picks

A roundtable of energy experts brought together Baron I've come up with 12 energy-related stocks they say are poised to boom on rising demand.

Stephen Baird, global head of sustainability and clean technology research at Morgan Stanley, likes AES), Scenery (VST), energy constellation (CEG), Bloom Energy (He is), and Sun Ron (NASDAQ: ON).

Baird highlighted Sunrun and Bloom Energy. The former provides residential solar energy systems, while the latter markets solid oxide technology that converts fuels, such as natural gas, biogas, hydrogen, or a combination thereof into electricity.

“Both companies are primarily driven by the increasing disconnect we see: utility bills continue to rise, and the cost of clean technology products continues to fall,” he said. “Both companies have fairly high barriers to entry.”

The picks from Lucas White, a natural resources and climate-focused portfolio manager at GMO, are: Sunrun (RUN), First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR), Solar Edge Technologies (Nasdaq: SEDG), Darling Ingredients (DAR), and Neste (OTCPK:NTOIY).

Sunrun “is differentiated by its size. It has a chance to be a long-term winner,” White said.

He added that he has a high quality bias and value orientation. “Companies in the biofuels space, such as Darling Ingredients and Neste, are also relatively high quality, have a competitive advantage, and trade cheaply relative to their long-term profitability.”

Stan Masher, an energy-focused portfolio manager at Hotchkis & Wiley, likes APA (APA), Cosmos Energy (KOS), and Shell (New York Stock Exchange: Shell).

Regarding smaller companies, he prefers companies that trade with a free cash flow yield of between 15% and 20%, citing APA – formerly known as Apache – and Kosmos as examples.

“The nice thing about (APA) is that it has about $13 per share in assets that are not currently producing earnings or free cash flow,” Magcher said. “It ranges from discoveries off the coast of Suriname to the LNG (liquefied natural gas) contract with Cheniere Energy (LNG), and net operating losses that can shelter taxes. All these assets, you get for free.”

Regarding Kosmos Energy (KOS), he noted that it “trades at about five times its earnings, for a free cash flow yield of 20%. It has some offshore LNG assets that should go live later this year which we think “You will get it.” Free.”

Byrd, White, and Mager He said it all For energy-minded investors, they suggest investing the majority of those assets in traditional fossil fuel companies.

“Among our overweight (buy-rated) stocks, we have a larger group in energy where the upside in market cap is greater than the upside in clean energy,” Baird said.