Transocean Inc.RIGCOMMENTNov 03, 2014Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 23, 2026. Market Open.
The whole energy complex is falling today. There are concerns that people priced in too much growth in some of the pro-growth policies Mr. Trump wants to push, which are going to come later and more diluted. However, this is a survivor in energy and is the go-to company when it comes to deep-water drilling. Energy prices are still too cheap, and over the long haul they are going to drift higher, and this company will be a beneficiary. You could use pullbacks like this to add to your position.
One issue with these companies is where does oil go? This was trading at some value below the value of their actual rigs out there. He believes oil will be higher over the longer-term and this is a good company. If you compare the volatility over the next little while, it will do well and you can see a reasonable rate of return on it. Probably worth buying at these levels.
Big in offshore drilling. You could make a case that the value of the rigs is worth more than the share price right now. Oil/gas business is in a difficult environment, especially on the offshore side where costs are much higher. Expects oil will go down a little bit more when you will have a better opportunity to buy it.
Drillers have probably been unduly punished, but it is not a surprise. They are affected by long dated events. The big oil corporations make capital allocation and expenditure decisions many, many years in advance. With oil prices dropping in the $80 range, there is a lot of fear that these drillers are going to lose contracts and have idle rigs. Management has been questioned as they have done some questionable things. He prefers Ensco (ESV-N) whose fleet is much newer and their utilization rates are much higher at 96%.