Mid�cap video game retailer stock GameStop Corp (NYSE: GME), who�� potential peers may include small caps Books-A-Million, Inc (NASDAQ: BAMM) and Trans World Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: TWMC), is ranked as the sixth most shorted stock on the NYSE with short interest of 42.02% according to Highshortinterest.com. However, there�� good reason for the high short interest and many shorts and investors alike feel that GameStop Corp�� brick and mortar strategy to sell games is very old school as retail increasingly shifts online.
Why is GameStop Corp Being Shorted?
A�Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company,�mid cap GameStop Corp is a global, multichannel video game, consumer electronics and wireless services retailer that operates more than 6,600 stores across 14 countries. The company�� consumer product network also includes www.gamestop.com; www.Kongregate.com, a browser-based game site; Game Informer庐 magazine, a print and digital video game publication; and www.buymytronics.com, an online consumer electronics trade-in platform. In addition,�the company���Technology Brands segment includes Simply Mac, www.simplymac.com, which operates 46 stores selling the full line of Apple products, including laptops, tablets, smartphones and offering Apple certified warranty and repair services; Spring Mobile, http://springmobile.com, which sells post-paid AT&T services and wireless products through its 311 AT&T branded stores; and�Cricket Wireless, www.cricketwireless.com, which operates 51 Cricket stores in select markets throughout the United States�offering pre-paid wireless services, devices and related accessories.
Clean Energy Fuels Corp., together with its subsidiaries, provides natural gas as an alternative fuel for vehicle fleets in the United States and Canada. The company designs, builds, operates, and maintains fueling stations, as well as supplies compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel for medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Its CNG is used in automobiles, light to medium-duty vehicles, refuse trucks, and transit buses as an alternative to gasoline and diesel. The company also sells non-lubricated natural gas compressors and related equipment used in CNG and LNG stations; and produces renewable natural gas, which is used as vehicle fuel or sold for power generation. In addition, it offers vehicle finance services for the purchase of natural gas vehicles, as well as for the conversion of gasoline or diesel powered vehicles to operate on natural gas. Further, the company provides natural gas conversions, alternative fuel systems, application engineering, service and warranty support, and research and development services for natural gas vehicles. As of December 31, 2011, it served approximately 530 fleet customers with approximately 25,000 natural gas vehicles; and owned, operated, or supplied 273 natural gas fueling stations in 23 states within the United States, and British Columbia and Ontario within Canada, as well as in Peru. Clean Energy Fuels Corp. was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Seal Beach, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Taylor Muckerman and Joel South]
The debate is on
In the following video, Motley Fool analysts Joel South and Taylor Muckerman each weigh in on how natural gas and solar have been performing lately and which companies are taking the lead. Both options have made progress recently, with Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE ) building out its "America's Natural Gas Highway" initiative and SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR ) producing more efficient solar panels.
Hot Mid Cap Stocks To Buy For 2014: Hi Crush Partners LP (HCLP)
Hi Crush Partners LP, formerly Hi-Crush Partners LP, is a domestic producer of monocrystalline sand, a specialized mineral that is used as a proppant to enhance the recovery rates of hydrocarbons from oil and natural gas wells. The Company reserves consist of Northern White sand, a resource existing in Wisconsin and limited portions of the upper Midwest region of the United States. It owns, operates and develops sand reserves and related excavation and processing facilities and will seek to acquire or develop additional facilities. The Company's 561-acre facility with integrated rail infrastructure, located near Wyeville, Wisconsin, enables it to process and deliver approximately 1,600,000 tons of frac sand per year. In June 2013, Hi Crush Partners LP announced the completion of its acquisition of D&I Silica, LLC (D&I).
The Company�� frac sand production is sold to investment grade-rated pressure pumping service providers under long-term, contracts that require its customers to pay a specified price for a specified volume of frac sand each month. The Company owns and operates the Wyeville facility, which is located in Monroe County, Wisconsin and, as of December 31, 2011, contained 48.4 million tons of proven recoverable sand reserves of mesh sizes it has contracted to sell. From the Wyeville in-service date to March 31, 2012, it had processed and sold 555,250 tons of frac sand.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Alex Planes]
Hi-Crush Partners (NYSE: HCLP ) and U.S. Silica Holdings (NYSE: SLCA ) could also pose a threat to CARBO's higher-end products. CARBO has worked feverishly to convince drillers that ceramic proppants are much stronger than sand, and can withstand the high temperatures and pressures of deep, fractured wells. Since Hi-Crush's IPO, however, it does appear that the tide has shifted to sand, as Carbo's revenues have declined�while Hi-Crush and U.S. Silica have gained. Increased competition from a number of Chinese companies that have flooded the domestic market with cheap ceramic proppants is also a danger to CARBO's higher-quality products, provided that the cut-rate ceramics are actually up to the task.
- [By John Udovich]
Yesterday, small cap fracking stock CARBO Ceramics Inc (NYSE: CRR) surged 28.32% after reporting earnings while fracking peer U.S. Silica Holdings Inc (NYSE: SLCA) jumped 9.50% and Hi-Crush Partners LP (NYSE: HCLP) rose 3.20%���no doubt on positive sentiment. However, are investors missing anything with CARBO Ceramics and�is it too late to get in on the action there?
Hot Mid Cap Stocks To Buy For 2014: Bellway PLC (BWY)
Bellway p.l.c. is a United Kingdom-based holding company, owning subsidiary undertakings, which is engaged principally in housebuilding in the United Kingdom. The Company�� subsidiaries include Bellway Homes Limited, Bellway Properties Limited, Bellway (Services) Limited, Litrose Investments Limited, Bellway Financial Services Limited, Bellway Housing Trust Limited and The Victoria Dock Company Limited.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Sofia Horta e Costa]
Persimmon dropped 4.3 percent to 1,061 pence, while Bellway Plc (BWY) declined 3.1 percent to 1,262 pence. Bovis Homes Group Plc slipped 2.7 percent to 712 pence. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and the Bank of England will reassess the Help-to-Buy program, which allows the purchase of homes with a deposit as small as 5 percent, every September from 2014, the Treasury said.
- [By Sofia Horta e Costa]
Bellway Plc (BWY) added 1.4 percent after the homebuilder said reservations in the past four months rose 31 percent as buyers had greater access to mortgages. Elan (ELN) Corp. jumped to a 10-month high in Dublin after Royalty Pharma increased its offer for the Irish drugmaker to as much as $6.7 billion. BT Group increased 3.7 percent as Barclays Plc recommended investors buy shares of the U.K.�� largest fixed-line company.
Hot Mid Cap Stocks To Buy For 2014: Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc (BLCM)
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on discovering and developing cellular immunotherapies for various forms of cancer, including hematological cancers and solid tumors, as well as orphan inherited blood disorders. The Company�� product pipeline includes clinical product candidates, such as BPX-501, which is an adjunct T-cell therapy administered after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; BPX-201, which is a dendritic cell cancer vaccine; and Preclinical product candidates, including BPX-701, which is a T cell receptor (TCR) product candidate for solid tumors; BPX-401, which is a CAR-T product candidate for hematological cancers that express the CD19 antigen, and BPX-601, which is a TCR product candidate for solid tumors expressing the preferentially-expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME). The Company�� Chemical Induction of Dimerization (CID) technology platform engineers and controls components of the immune system in real time.
CaspaCIDe
CaspaCIDe is the Company�� Chemical Induction of Dimerization (CID) safety switch technology. The CaspaCIDe eliminates cells in the event of toxicity. The CaspaCIDe switch consists of the CID-binding domain coupled to the signaling domain of caspase-9 (iCasp9), an enzyme that is part of the apoptotic pathway. The infusion of rimiducid triggers activation of this domain of caspase-9, which in turn leads to selective apoptosis of the CaspaCIDe-containing cells. The CaspaCIDe technology is applied to its lead clinical product candidate, BPX-501 and to its TCR product candidate, BPX-701.
The CaspaCIDe technology has demonstrated clinical efficacy in human patients beginning as soon as 30 minutes after administration of the activating drug, rimiducid. In the preclinical studies, rimiducid reduced or eliminated CaspaCIDe-containing cells in a dosage dependent manner. The National Cancer Institute is conducting a Phase I/II clinical trial for sarcoma! and other solid tumors with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) construct targeting a solid tumor antigen combined with CaspaCIDe.
CIDeCAR
CIDeCAR Technology consists of a CAR T cell that incorporates its co-stimulatory domain, MC, for improved T-cell activation and proliferation, and the CaspaCIDe safety switch. CAR interaction with cancer cell antigens leads to MC signaling, which then leads to activation of T cells. In the event of serious toxicity, rimiducid activation of caspase-9 eliminates the CIDeCAR T cells.
The Company has conducted proof-of-principle preclinical studies for CIDeCAR technology, CIDeCAR candidate BPX-401 and CIDeCAR solid tumor CAR targeting Her2, in which, both were evaluated in vitro. These preclinical studies demonstrated that CIDeCAR technology results in enhanced activation, proliferation and tumor cell killing; and the elimination of these CIDeCAR T cells after exposure to rimiducid.
GoCAR-T
The Company�� GoCAR-T technology incorporates a switch that activates CAR T cells when triggered by both rimiducid and the targeted antigen expressed on the surface of the cancer cells. The GoCAR-T technology separates the CIDeCAR dual co-stimulatory domain, MC, from the antigen recognition domain and moves it onto a separate molecular switch that can be controlled by rimiducid. GoCAR-T cells can only be fully activated when exposed to both the cancer cells and rimiducid. This separation controls the degree of activation of the CAR T cells through adjustments to the amount of rimiducid administered, but still in a tumor-dependent manner.
The Company conducted a proof-of-principle in vitro study for GoCAR-T technology, in which it demonstrated that the GoCAR-T cells targeting the PSCA antigen can only be fully activated, as evidenced by production of IL-2 (left panel) and T-cell proliferation (right panel) when the GoCAR-T cells are exposed to both their target PSCA-expressing human pancreatic cancer cells ! and rimid! ucid. In further in vivo studies of GoCAR-T technology, target antigen PSCA-expressing Capan-1 human pancreatic tumors were established in immune-deficient, or NSG, mice. After seven days, five mice received control T cells modified only with firefly luciferase, an imaging protein, and 10 mice received T cells modified with MC in the form of a molecular switch or iMC, plus a PSCA. CAR (together, BPX-601) and firefly luciferase. Five mice in this second group also received 5 mg/kg rimiducid weekly. T-cell imaging clearly demonstrated that GoCAR-T cells can be stimulated to proliferate in vivo when exposed to target antigen-expressing cancer cells by rimiducid administration.
DeCIDe
The DeCIDe technology is used to control the activation of dendritic cells. The DeCIDe technology couples the signaling domains of CD40 and MyD88 to its CID binding domain, to create inducible MC switch, which is then insert into dendritic cells along with the PSMA antigen to take control of the activation of the dendritic cells and the resulting immune response to cancer. Upon exposure to rimiducid, DeCIDe-containing dendritic cells become highly activated. The DeCIDe technology activates dendritic cells with rimiducid after the patient has been vaccinated and the dendritic cells have migrated to the draining lymph nodes.
The cultured BPX-201 cells transduced with DeCIDe switch technology produce supra-normal levels of IL-12 in response to rimiducid. These data demonstrates that, in addition to the temporal control of dendritic cell activation that DeCIDe technology affords, once exposed to rimiducid, DeCIDe-containing dendritic cells become highly activated, which may lead to more potent anti-cancer activity in patients.
BPX-501
The Company�� CaspaCIDe product candidate BPX-501, is under development for the treatment of hematological diseases. BPX-501 is an adjunct T-cell therapy administered after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), us! ing donor! stem cells. The BPX-501 eliminates donor T cells through the triggering of the CaspaCIDe safety switch upon emergence of Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). The BPX-501 improves stem cell engraftment and accelerates immune system recovery, while providing for resolution of GvHD. The BPX-501 has a range of applications: an add-back of donor T cells administered to accelerate immune system recovery after allogeneic haplo-HSCT in which the T cells in the transplanted stem cells were depleted, and a donor T-cell infusion administered to prevent or treat relapse of underlying disease after allogeneic HSCT independent of donor match.
The product has undergone a 10-patient Phase I clinical trial with CaspaCIDe modified T cells. Four patients developed GvHD after donor T-cell infusion. A single dosage of rimiducid eliminated around 90% of the modified T cells and resolved GvHD in all four patients without recurrence of GvHD. In the second clinical trial of CaspaCIDe-modified T cells, these demonstrations have been replicated in preliminary data from three patients. BPX-501 is being evaluated in multiple Phase I/II clinical trials in the United States, which includes BP-001, a clinical trial in adults and and BP-003, a clinical trial in children. During the BP-001 clinical trial, BPX-501 is administered after initial allogeneic HSCT for hematological cancers. The BP-003 clinical trial in children with orphan inherited blood disorders includes the administration of BPX-501 after initial allogeneic HSCT. The Company also initiated an additional Phase I/II clinical trial, BPX-004 in children with hematological cancers or orphan inherited blood disorders.
BPX-201
The Company�� product candidate under development, BPX-201 is a dendritic cell cancer vaccine intended to treat metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). BPX-201 is an autologous therapy, in which the patient�� own white blood cells are extracted and modified ex vivo. The cells are matured and then gen! etically ! engineered to express the DeCIDe switch domains and the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) antigen. The modified cells are then washed, apportioned into individual dosages, and frozen for later administration to the patient. The incorporation of the DeCIDe switch in the presence of rimiducid activates the therapy.
The Company is evaluating BPX-201 in an 18-patient Phase I clinical trial for mCRPC. It is evaluating opportunities for BPX-201 in combination with other cancer immunotherapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors.
BPX-701
The Company�� CaspaCIDe T cell receptor (TCR) Product Candidate, BPX-701 is under development for the treatment of Solid Tumors. BPX-701 is a TCR-based therapy for the treatment of PRAME-expressing melanoma, sarcomas and neuroblastomas. BPX-701 is designed to target preferentially-expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAMEa gene) that is predominantly expressed in human melanomas but not in normal tissues.
The BPX-701 has demonstrated complete elimination in response to rimiducid. The Clinical Cancer Research 2011 has demonstrated that PRAME-specific clones showed high reactivity against a panel of PRAME positive tumor cell lines, metastatic melanoma, sarcomas and neuroblastoma tissues, and no reactivity against normal cell types, with the exception of low reactivity against kidney epithelial cells and intermediate reactivity against mature dendritic cells. The vitro studies demonstrated BPX-701�� affinity to panels of cancer cells presenting PRAME peptides and low affinity to non-tumor cells. In other in vitro studies, rimiducid administration has proved the ability to eliminate BPX-701 cells.
BPX-401
The Company�� CIDeCAR Product Candidate under development, BPX-401, is developed for the treatment of Hematological Cancers, such as acute lymphotcytic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and certain types of non-Hodgkin�� lymphoma. The CIDeCAR consists of CAR T cells modified to! include ! its CaspaCIDe safety switch and in which the CAR incorporates the signaling domains of two proteins, MyD88 and CD40. These proteins form the Company�� dual co-stimulatory domain, MC, which is designed to activate T cells in the presence of cancer cells. The Company has generated preclinical proof-of-principle data in vitro signifying that BPX-401 has CAR T cell activation and proliferation potential, and may be effective in killing cancer cells.
BPX-601
The Company�� GoCAR-T Product Candidate, BPX-601, is proposed for the treatment of Solid Tumors. The BPX-601 is undergoing preclinical studies for the treatment of solid tumors overexpressing the prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), such as some prostate, pancreatic, bladder, esophageal and gastric cancers. The Company�� GoCAR-T technology consists of CAR and T cells. GoCAR-T controls activation and proliferation of the CAR T cells through the scheduled administration of a course of rimiducid infusions.
BPX-601 is undergoing preclinical studies for the treatment of solid tumors overexpressing the PSCA antigen. The Company has demonstrated positive proof-of-principle data in an animal pancreatic tumor model.
The Company competes with Adaptimmune Limited, bluebird bio, Inc., Celgene Corporation, Cellectis SA, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Intrexon Corporation, Juno Therapeutics, Inc., Kite Pharma, Inc., Novartis AG and Pfizer Inc.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Udovich]
Small cap cancer drug stock Kite Pharma Inc (NASDAQ: KITE) has surged after announcing a�strategic research collaboration and license agreement with Amgen, Inc (NASDAQ: AMGN)�involving Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) ��meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock, which had an IPO last June,�along with potential peers�Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: BLCM) and Juno Therapeutics (NASDAQ: JUNO) which are players in the CAR therapies space and had more recent IPOs.
Hot Mid Cap Stocks To Buy For 2014: AMN Healthcare Services Inc(AHS)
AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. provides healthcare staffing and clinical workforce management solutions in the United States. The company?s Nurse and Allied Healthcare Staffing segment provides staffing solutions for hospitals and other healthcare facilities, including medical, surgical, specialty, licensed practical or vocational, and advanced practice nurses, as well as surgical technologists and dialysis technicians. This segment also offers allied health professionals under the Med Travelers, Club Staffing, and Rx Pro Health brand names to acute-care hospitals and other healthcare facilities, such as skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation clinics, and retail and mail-order pharmacies. These allied health professionals include physical, surgical, respiratory, and occupational therapists, as well as medical and radiology technologists, speech pathologists, rehabilitation assistants, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. Its Locum Tenens Staffing segment places physic ians of various specialties, certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, and dentists on a temporary basis as independent contractors with various healthcare organizations, including hospitals, medical groups, occupational medical clinics, individual practitioners, networks, psychiatric facilities, government institutions, and managed care entities. The company?s Physician Permanent Placement Services segment provides permanent physician placement services to hospitals, healthcare facilities, and physician practice groups under the Merritt Hawkins and Kendall & Davis brand names. This segment also offers specialty offerings, including internal medicines, family practices, and surgeries. Its Home Healthcare Services segment provide home healthcare services to individuals with acute-care illness, long-term chronic health conditions, permanent disabilities, terminal illnesses, and post-procedural needs. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in S an Diego, California.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on AMN Healthcare Services (NYSE: AHS ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Hot Mid Cap Stocks To Buy For 2014: RLI Corp. (RLI)
RLI Corp., through its subsidiaries, underwrites property and casualty insurance primarily in the United States. The company operates in three segments: Casualty, Property, and Surety. The Casualty segment provides general liability services consisting of coverage for third party liability of commercial insurers, including manufacturers, contractors, apartments, and mercantile; commercial and personal umbrella coverage; and commercial transportation that include automobile liability and physical damage insurance to local, intermediate, and long haul truckers, public transportation risks, and equipment dealers, as well as incidental and related insurance coverage. It also offers professional liability coverages, such as directors? and officers? liability insurance, employment practices liability, and other miscellaneous professional liability coverage; and specialty program coverages, such as commercial property, general liability, inland marine, and crime, as well as deduc tible buy-back. The Property segment offers property coverage that consists primarily of excess and surplus lines and specialty insurance, such as fire and earthquake. It also provides insurance for commercial and industrial risks, such as office buildings, apartments, condominiums, and certain industrial and mercantile structures, as well as writes boiler and machinery coverage; marine coverage, including hull, cargo, and protection and indemnity; homeowners and dwelling fire insurance; and property facultative reinsurance for insurance companies. The Surety segment specializes in writing small-to-large commercial and small contract surety coverages, as well as for the energy, petrochemical, and refining industries. It offers miscellaneous bonds, such as license and permit, notary, and court bonds; and fidelity and crime coverage for commercial insured and select financial institutions. RLI Corp. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Peoria, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Neil Macneale]
The top-rated stock among split announcements is RLI Corp. (RLI). I had never heard of this company, and I'm pleased to make its acquaintance.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
For the past several years, Berkshire has contrasted its own cost-free float provided by profitable underwriting against the industry�� (unimpressive) tendency to lose money on underwriting while generating net returns from investment income. So far, so good. Less edifying, though, is the repeated contrast of Berkshire�� track record of profitability to State Farm��…even though, as a mutual company, State Farm�� profitability goals are inherently different from for-profit insurers like Berkshire. It�� true that through year-end 2013, Berkshire�� underwriters have ��ow operated at an underwriting profit for eleven consecutive years,��but so have ACE (ACE), American Financial (AFG),� AmTrust Financial (AFSI), Arch Capital (ACGL), Chubb (CB), HCC (HCC), Progressive (PGR), RLI (RLI), and W.R. Berkley (WRB), any or all of whom provide a more meaningful comparison than contrasting Berkshire�� results to a company that�� not out to produce a profit in the first place.
Hot Mid Cap Stocks To Buy For 2014: Statoil ASA (STO)
Statoil ASA (Statoil), incorporated on September 18, 1972, is an integrated energy company primarily engaged in oil and gas exploration and production activities. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had business operations in 41 countries and territories. Effective from January 1, 2011, the Company�� segments were Development and Production Norway; Development and Production International; Marketing, Processing and Renewable Energy; Fuel & Retail, Other. As of 31 December 2011, the Company had proved reserves of 2,276 million barrels (mmbbl) and 3,150 billion cubic meters (bcm) (equivalent to 17,681 trillion cubic feet (tcf)) of natural gas, corresponding to aggregate proved reserves of 5,426 mmboe. In December 2011, the Company acquired Brigham Exploration Company. On April 14, 2011, Statoil's formation of a joint venture and sale of 40% of the Peregrino field off the coast of Brazil to the Sinochem Group was closed. With effect from January 2011, Statoil formed a joint venture with PTTEP of Thailand in its oil sands business and, as part of that transaction, sold PTTEP a 40% interest in the leases in Alberta, Canada. Statoil retains 60% ownership and operatorship of the oil sands project. In June 2012, the Company divested its 54% interest in Statoil Fuel & Retail ASA to Alimentation Couche-Tard.
Development and Production Norway
Development and Production Norway (DPN) consists of the Company�� field development and operational activities on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). Development and Production Norway is the operator of 44 developed fields on the NCS. Statoil's equity and entitlement production on the NCS was 1.316 mmboe per day in 2011, which was about 71% of Statoil's total production. Acting as operator, DPN is responsible for approximately 72% of all oil and gas production on the NCS. In 2011, its average daily production of oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) on the NCS was 693 mboe, while its average daily gas production on the NCS was 99.1 mmcm (3.5 b! illion cubic feet (bcf)). The Company has an ownership interests in exploration acreage throughout the licensed parts of the NCS, both within and outside its production areas. It participates in 227 licenses on the NCS and is the operator for 171 of them. As of 31 December 2011, Statoil had a total of 1,369 mmbbl of proved oil reserves and 444 bcm (15.7 tcf) of proved natural gas reserves on the NCS. Total entitlement liquids and gas production in 2011 amounted to 1,316 mmboe per day.
Statoil's NCS portfolio consists of licenses in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. It has organized its production operations into four business clusters: Operations South, Operations North Sea West, Operations North Sea East and Operations North. The Operations South and Operations North Sea West and East clusters cover its licenses in the North Sea. Operations North covers the Company�� licenses in the Norwegian Sea and in the Barents Sea, while partner-operated fields cover the entire NCS and are included internally in the Operations South business cluster. During 2011, it two Statoil-operated oil discoveries: the Aldous discovery (PL265) in the North Sea and the Skrugard discovery (PL532) in the Barents Sea. The Aldous Major South discovery in PL265 on the Utsira Height in the Sleipner area is situated 140 kilometers west of Stavanger and 35 kilometers south of the Grane field. The Skrugard discovery is located about 250 kilometers off the coast from the Melkoya LNG plant in Hammerfest.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� fields under development included the Gudrun, Valemon, Visund South, Hyme, Stjerne, Vigdis North-East, Skuld, Vilje South, Skarv, and Marulk. In 2011, the Company�� total entitlement oil and NGL production in Norway was 252 mmbbl, and gas production was 36.2 bcm (1,287 bcf). The main producing fields in the Operations South area are Statfjord, Snorre, Tordis, Vigdis, Sleipner and partner-operated fields. Operations North Sea East is a gas area tha! t also co! ntains quantities of oil. The area includes the Troll, Fram, Vega, Oseberg and Tune fields. The Company�� producing fields in the Operations North area are Asgard, Mikkel, Yttergryta, Heidrun, Kristin, Tyrihans, Norne, Urd, Alve, Njord, Snohvit and Morvin.
Development and Production International
Development and Production International (DPI) is responsible for the development and production of oil and gas outside the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). In 2011, the segment was engaged in production in 12 countries: Canada, the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Angola, Nigeria, Iran, Algeria, Libya, Azerbaijan, Russia and the United Kingdom. In 2011, DPI produced 28.9% of Statoil's total equity production of oil and gas. Statoil has exploration licenses in North America (Gulf of Mexico, Canada and Alaska), South America and sub-Saharan Africa (Brazil, Cuba, Suriname, Venezuela, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania), Middle East and North Africa (Libya and Iran) and Europe and Asia (the Faeroes, Greenland, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan and Indonesia). The main sanctioned development projects in which DPI is involved are in the United States, Angola and Canada. The Brigham Exploration Company acquisition added production of approximately 21 mboe per day (as of December) to Statoil's production and gave access to 1,500 square kilometers (375,000 acres) in the Bakken and Three Forks formations in the Williston Basin.
The Company has exploration licenses in North America (Gulf of Mexico, Canada and Alaska), South America and sub-Saharan Africa (Brazil, Cuba, Suriname, Venezuela, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania), Middle East and North Africa (Libya and Iran), and Europe and Asia (the Faroes, Greenland, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan and Indonesia). It completed 16 wells in 2011. Five were announced as discoveries: the Mukuvo and Lira discoveries in Angola, the Gavea and Peregrino South discovery in Brazil and the Logan discovery in Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Statoil acquired in! terests i! n six new licenses in Indonesia in 2011. Statoil has activities in the United States, with approximately 300 exploration leases in the GoM and 66 in Alaska. It is also an operator and partner in exploration licenses off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada. Statoil is operator and partner in exploration licenses off the coast of Newfoundland (11,138 square kilometers). It has exploration licenses in Brazil, Cuba, Suriname, Venezuela, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania. The Company has licenses in Libya, Iran, Faroes, Greenland, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan and Indonesia. In 2011, Statoil's petroleum production outside Norway amounted to an average of 334 mboe per day of entitlement production and 534 mboe per day of equity production.
The Company has activities in the United States Gulf of Mexico, the Appalachian region, south-west Texas, the Williston Basin, off the East Coast of Canada and in the oil sands of Alberta, Canada. It also has a representative office in Mexico City. Offshore, the Company has production interests in Hibernia and Terra Nova, and interests in two development projects. Its development and production activities in South America and sub-Saharan Africa comprise the Peregrino operatorship in Brazil, the Petrocedeno project in Venezuela, the Agbami offshore field in Nigeria and four Angolan offshore blocks. Statoil's development and production in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, primarily encompassed Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Iran and Iraq. The Company�� Development and Production in Europe and Asia primarily comprises Azerbaijan, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland.
Marketing, Processing and Renewable Energy
Marketing, Processing and Renewable Energy (MPR) is responsible for the transportation, processing, manufacturing, marketing and trading of crude oil, natural gas, liquids and refined products, and for developing business opportunities in renewables. It runs two refineries, two gas processing plants, one methanol plant and three crude! oil term! inals. MPR is also responsible for marketing gas supplies originating from the Norwegian state's direct financial interest (SDFI). In total, it is responsible for marketing approximately 80% of all Norwegian gas exports. In 2011, Statoil sold 36.1 bcm (1.3 tcf) of natural gas from the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) on its own behalf, in addition to approximately 33.5 bcm (1.2 tcf) of NCS gas on behalf of the Norwegian state. Statoil's total European gas sales, including third-party gas, amounted to 79.8 bcm (2.9 tcf) in 2011, of which 39.5 bcm (1.4 tcf) was gas sold on behalf of the Norwegian state. The Natural Gas business cluster is responsible for Statoil's marketing and trading of natural gas worldwide, for power and emissions trading and for overall gas supply planning. In 2011, the Company sold 36.1 bcm (1.3 tcf) of natural gas from the NCS on its own behalf, in addition to approximately 33.5 bcm (1.2 tcf) of NCS gas on behalf of the Norwegian state. Statoil's total European gas sales, including third-party gas, amounted to 79.8 bcm (2.9 tcf) in 2011, of which 39.5 bcm (1.4 tcf) was gas sold on behalf of the Norwegian state. In addition, it sold 5.5 bcm (0.2 tcf) of gas originating from its international positions, mainly in Azerbaijan and the United States, of which 2.7 bcm (0.1 tcf) was entitlement gas. As technical service provider (TSP), Statoil is responsible for the operation, maintenance and further development of the Karsto gas processing plant on behalf of the operator Gassco.
Statoil is the seller of crude oil, operating from sales offices in Stavanger, Oslo, London, Singapore, Stamford and Calgary and selling and trading crude oil, condensate, NGL and refined products. Statoil holds the lease for the South Riding Point crude oil terminal in the Bahamas, which includes, oil storage as well as loading and unloading facilities. It also operates the Mongstad terminal and has shared ownership with Petoro. The Company is a majority owner (79%) and operator of the Mongstad ref! inery in ! Norway, which has a crude oil and condensate distillation capacity of 220,000 barrels per day. It is the sole owner and operator of the Kalundborg refinery in Denmark, which has a crude oil and condensate distillation capacity of 118,000 barrels per day. In addition, it has rights to 10% of production capacity at the Shell-operated refinery in Pernis in the Netherlands, which has a crude oil distillation capacity of 400,000 barrels per day. The Company�� methanol operations consist of an 81.7% interest in the gas-based methanol plant at Tjeldbergodden, Norway, which has a design capacity of 0.95 million tons per year. It also operates the Oseberg Transportation System (36.2% interest), including the Sture crude oil terminal.
Technology, Projects and Drilling
Technology, Projects and Drilling (TPD) is responsible, as a global service provider to Statoil, for delivering projects and wells and for providing support through global expertise, standards and procurement. TPD is also responsible developing and implementing new technological solutions. Statoil's research and development portfolio is organized in seven programs covering the upstream building blocks. The research and development organization operates and develops laboratories and test facilities and has an academia program that addresses cooperation with universities and research institutes.
Global Strategy and Business Development
Global Strategy and Business Development (GSB) was established in 2011, with its main office in London. GSB sets the direction for Statoil and identifies, develops and delivers opportunities for global growth.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Rich Duprey]
Norwegian oil company Statoil (NYSE: STO ) has had its eye on becoming more intimately involved in its operations in the Eagle Ford shale region in Texas since it first acquired the acreage in 2010, and last year it advised its joint venture partner,�Talisman Energy (NYSE: TLM ) , that it intended to take over all the activities associated with the eastern region of its asset.
- [By Joshua Bondy]
Not all big oil firms are in Shell's position. Instead of charting relativity new waters,�Statoil (NYSE: STO ) �simply moves up the Norwegian Continental Shelf to develop its Arctic assets. One of its major strengths is that its majority shareholder is a national government that puts long-term interests in front of short term profiteering. Statoil also has acreage in some of the top U.S. shale plays. In Q1 2014 its equity production brought in 49.4 mboepd in the Bakken and 31 mboepd in the Eagle Ford.�
- [By Arjun Sreekumar]
In the wake of these incidents and elevated regulatory scrutiny, other companies looking to drill in the region are also rethinking their operations. ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP ) , for instance, has cancelled its plans to drill in the Chukchi Sea due to federal regulatory uncertainty, while Statoil (NYSE: STO ) , which also holds leases in Chukchi, said last year that it would delay drilling in the American Arctic until 2015. �
- [By Paul Ausick]
In similar fashion, Noble is going to concentrate its efforts on the high-margin deepwater drilling business and leave the shallow-water business. Last May, Noble won a contract with Statoil ASA (NYSE: STO) for a North Sea project in deep water and a harsh environment that Noble hopes will lead to strategic relationship with Statoil in the coming developments in the Arctic.
Richard Drew/AP NEW YORK -- The stock market started November on a strong note as investors reacted to an expansion in U.S. manufacturing last month. The improvement came during what could have been a difficult month for the U.S. economy, with a partial government shutdown that lasted 16 days and a narrowly averted default on the U.S. government's debt, which could have rattled financial markets. "With what happened in the last two months, it's amazing how strong this market has been," said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management. The Institute for Supply Management reported that its manufacturing index increased to 56.4, the highest level since April 2011. That was better than the 55.1 figure economists were expecting, according financial data provider FactSet. The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) rose 69.80 points, or 0.5 percent, to 15,615.55. The Standard & Poor's 500 index (^GPSC) rose 5.10 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,761.64. The Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) rose 2.34 points, or 0.1 percent, to 3,922.04. Energy stocks lagged the market after Chevron (CVX) reported that its third-quarter income fell 6 percent, missing analysts' estimates, due to weakness in the company's oil refining business. Chevron fell $1.95, or 1.6 percent, to $118.01. The energy sector was also weighed down by a drop in the price of oil. Crude oil fell $1.77, or 1.8 percent, to $94.61 a barrel. The positive start to this month's trading comes after a strong October for the stock market. The S&P 500 closed at a record high seven times during the month, most recently on Tuesday. It ended October with a gain of 4.5 percent. However, some investors have expressed skepticism that stocks can keep up this rapid pace pace heading into the last two months of the year. The S&P 500 is up 23 percent so far this year, while the average annual return on the S&P 500 is around 8 percent. Stocks are also starting to look expensive by some measures. Investors are paying more than $16 for every $1 of earnings in the S&P 500, the highest that ratio has been since February 2011. "I don't think this market is cheap by any means," said Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial. "We've been urging caution for some time now." In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.62 percent from 2.56 percent. On Friday morning, the Nasdaq's options market was halted due to a technical glitch. Regular stock trading was not affected. Among stocks making big moves: • The Container Store (TCS) more than doubled on its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The company raised $225 million in its initial public offering, pricing 12.5 million shares at $18 each. The stock soared $18.20 to $36.20. • First Solar (FSLR) jumped $8.83, or 18 percent, to $59.14. The solar panel maker said it had an adjusted profit of $2.28 per share for the third quarter, blowing past analysts' estimates of $1.13 per share, according FactSet. • Body Central (BODY) plunged 30 percent to $3.94 after the clothing and accessories retailer reported a third-quarter loss that was worse than analysts were expecting.