Ross (ROST) (SFY) (SM) (COG) (CRK) (CRZO) Get New Coverage

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), Swift Energy (NYSE: SFY), SM Energy (NYSE: SM), Cabot Oil & Gas (NYSE: COG), Comstock Resources Inc. (NYSE: CRK) and Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ: CRZO) getting new coverage from analysts.

FBR Capital initiated coverage on Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST). They placed an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Swift Energy (SFY). They placed an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $30.05 on the company.

Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on SM Energy (SM). They placed a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $87.00 on the company.

Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Cabot Oil & Gas (COG). They placed a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $84.00 on the company.

Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Comstock Resources Inc. (CRK). They placed a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $22.00 on the company.

Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO). They placed an “Outperform” rating and a price target of $38.00 on the company.

Teva (TEVA) (TRNX) (TSON) (CRM) (CRZO) (CWTR) Ratings, Price Targets

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA), Tornier BV (TRNX), TranS1 Inc. (TSON), Salesforce.com (CRM), Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) and Coldwater Creek Inc. (CWTR) ratings and price targets.

SunTrust (NYSE:STI) downgraded Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) reiterated its “Overweight” rating on Tornier BV (TRNX). They have a price target of $26.00 on the company.

Piper Jaffray reiterated its “Overweight” rating on TranS1 Inc. (TSON). They have a price target of $4.00 on the company.

Piper Jaffray reiterated its “Overweight” rating on Salesforce.com (CRM). They have a price target of $183.00 on the company.

Canaccord Genuity lowered its price target on Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) to $49.00.

Piper Jaffray reiterated its “Neutral” rating on Coldwater Creek Inc. (CWTR). They have a price target of $1.50 on the company.

JA Solar (JASO) (JEF) (LVS) (CRZO) (CUB) (DAKT) (DE) Ratings Reiterations

JA Solar (NASDAQ: JASO), Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ: CRZO), Cubic (NYSE: CUB), Daktronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: DAKT) and Deere & Company (NYSE: DE) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Needham & Company reiterated its "Hold" rating on JA Solar (JASO).

Oppenheimer reiterated its "Market Perform" rating on Jefferies Group, Inc. (JEF).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS).

Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) was given a price target of $35.00 by Imperial Capital.

Benchmark Co. reiterated its "Buy" rating on Cubic (CUB). They have a price target of $52.00 on the company.

Needham & Company reiterated its "Hold" rating on Daktronics, Inc. (DAKT).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Deere & Company (DE).

Carrizo (CRZO) (TWTC) (AMLN) (EQR) (HIG) (HRB) Upgraded

Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ: CRZO), TW Telecom (NASDAQ: TWTC), Amylin Pharma (NASDAQ: AMLN), Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR), Hartford Financial (NYSE: HIG) and H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) were upgraded by analysts.

Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) was upgraded by Global Hunter Securities from an “Accumulate” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $48.00 on the company.

TW Telecom (TWTC) was upgraded by DA Davidson from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $24.00 on the company, up from $18.00.

Amylin Pharma (AMLN) was upgraded by BMO Capital Markets from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Equity Residential (EQR) was upgraded by Argus from a “Hold” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $68.00 on the company.

Hartford Financial (HIG) was upgraded by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) from an “Equal Weight” rating to an “Overweight” rating.

H&R Block, Inc. (HRB) was upgraded by Oppenheimer from a “Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating. They have a price target of $19.00 on the company.

Petrohawk (HK) Bid from BHP (BHP) Pushes Up (PXD) (SM) (SFY)

Shares of companies like Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE:PXD), SM Energy (NYSE:SM) and Swift Energy (NYSE:SFY), which own acreage in Eagle Ford, got a big boost from the premium offered from BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) for Petrohawk (NYSE:HK).

BHP's bid of $38.75 a share, was a 60 percent premium over the Thursday close of $23.79 a share by Petrohawk. The $12.1 billion bid was an all-cash offer.

Immediate response from some analysts is this deal is more than likely specific to Petrohawk, rather than an industry consolidation trend. Even so, it is good news for some in the natural gas industry, which could benefit from possible higher valuations as a result.

Swift Energy was trading at $40.92, gaining $3.18, or 8.43 percent, as of 10:51 AM EDT. SM Energy was at $77.97, up $5.83, or 8.08 percent. Pioneer Natural Resources was trading at $92.91, up $6.82, or 7.92 percent. HK was at $28.21, jumping $14.72, or 62.66 percent.

Other companies with large exposure to natural gas were also trading up on the day. EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG) was trading at $100.98, up $4.27, or 4.42 percent. EQT Corporation was at $57.13, gaining $2.40, or 4.39 percent. Carrizo Oil & Gas was at $39.44, up $1.45, or 3.82 percent. Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) was at $32.12, soaring $1.91, or 6.32 percent.

Pioneer Natural Resources holds 310,000 acres in the Eagle Ford. SM Energy holds 250,000 acres in the Eagle Ford, and Swift Energy holds 79,000 acres in the Eagle Ford.

BHP was trading at $91.15, down $1.13, or 1.22 percent.

Crimson (CXPO) (CRZO) (SLB) (TSO) (PTR) Trading Mixed

Shares of Crimson Exploration (NASDAQ:CXPO), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO), Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB), Tesoro Corporation (NYSE:TSO) and PetroChina (NYSE:PTR) were trading mixed today as oil prices were trading down in the session.

Crude-oil futures were trading down $0.79 to $97.65 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

U. S. crude oil prices also gained some back from earlier losses spurred by comments from the German Bundesbank, which said growth in Europe's largest economy will probably slow down.

Shares of oil companies like BP (NYSE:BP), Anadarko (NYSE:APC), Transocean and Cameron International (NYSE:CAM), all of which were connected to the Gulf oil spill, were all trading up on news of the settlement between BP and Macondo Well partner Mitsui (OTC:MITSY).

PetroChina (PTR) was trading at $134.43, gaining $1.13, or 0.85 percent, as of 2:33 PM EDT. Tesoro Corporation (TSO) was at $23.96, down $0.11, or 0.46 percent. Schlumberger (SLB) was trading at $84.15, up $0.57, or 0.68 percent. Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) was at $35.61, gaining $0.44, or 1.27 percent. Cameron International (CAM) was trading at $3.92, falling $0.01, or 0.25 percent.

Chevron (CVX) (RIG) (DRQ) (UPL) (CRZO) Trade Up as Energy Falls

Shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX), Transocean (NYSE:RIG), Dril-Quip, Inc. (NYSE:DRQ), Ultra Petroleum (NYSE:UPL) and Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO) traded up on Thursday, although oil and gas fell on the day.

After the International Energy Agency expressed concerns about the effects of higher oil and gasoline prices on the global economy, oil fell in Thursday trading.

Benchmark crude for June delivery fell $1.63 to settle at $98.93 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

June, heating oil fell 1.12 cents to settle at $2.8947 a gallon, gasoline dropped 2.95 cents to $2.926 a gallon and natural gas fell 10.5 cents to $4.161 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Transocean (NYSE:RIG) closed Thursday at $69.06, jumping $1.14, or 1.68 percent.

Berry (BRY) (CPE) (CRZO) (CWEI) (CRK) Soar on Weak U.S. Dollar

Shares of oil companies Berry Petroleum (NYSE:BRY), Callon Petroleum (NYSE:CPE), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO), Clayton Williams Energy (NASDAQ:CWEI) and Comstock Resources (NYSE:CRK) were traded up Wednesday after a report from the Energy Information Administration saying gas inventory was up less than expected and oil inventory was flat.

Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery was up $3.19, or 3.3 percent, to settle at $100.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Retail gasoline prices continued to fall, dropping almost 2 cents on Wednesday for a national average of $3.926 a gallon. Gasoline demand continues to fall in wake of high prices at the pump.

Heating oil for June increased 6.08 cents to settle at $2.9059 a gallon and gasoline futures jumped 3.62 cents to settle at $2.9555 a gallon. Natural gas gained 2 cents at $4.266 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Brent crude rose $2.31 in London, or 2.1 percent, to settle at $112.30 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the dollar against a basket of six currencies, traded at 75.438, down a little from 75.441 late Tuesday. That was also a factor in oil prices going up, as well as other commodity prices as well.

The euro traded at $1.4233, strengthening after falling to $1.4193 and up slightly from its $1.4219 close on Tuesday.

Traders bought commodities, including oil, on the weaker greenback.

Berry Petroleum (BRY) closed Wednesday at $48.34, gaining $3.49, or 7.78 percent.

Anadarko (APC) (CRZO) (UPL) (EPD) (GST) Trade Mixed as Oil Prices Rebound

Shares of Anadarko (NYSE:APC), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO), Ultra Petroleum (NYSE:UPL), Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE:EPD) and Gastar Exploration Ltd (AMEX:GST) traded mixed as oil prices closed Friday in positive territory.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for June delivery on Friday settled at $99.65 a barrel, up 68 cents, or 0.69 percent, after trading in a range of $97.09 to $100.70.

For the week, front-month crude climbed $2.47, or 2.5 percent.

ICE Brent for June delivery settled at $113.83 a barrel, up 85 cents, or 0.75 percent, after trading in a range of $111.72 to $114.92. The Brent crude contract for July delivery was at 66 cents, or 0.6 percent higher on Friday, at $112.99. Last week, Brent crude jumped $4.70, or 4.3 percent.

The U.S. dollar index was up 0.8 percent higher at $75.72 as the euro was down 1 percent against the dollar at $1.411. On Friday, European officials said that Greece, Ireland and Portugal's sovereign debt problems may be worse than previously believed.

NYMEX June gasoline settled at $3.0744 a gallon, up 1.05 cents, or 0.34 percent, after trading in a range of $3.0342 to $3.1388.

For the week, front-month RBOB fell 1.57 cents, or 0.5 percent.

NYMEX June heating oil closed at $2.9422 a gallon, rising 2.85 cents, or 1 percent.

Front-month heating oil for last week was up 9.65 cents.

Anadarko (APC) closed Friday at $74.06, falling $0.27, or 0.36 percent.

Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) Trades Up as Oil, Gas Rise

Crude oil, natural gas and gasoline prices jumped Tuesday, giving the share price of Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO) a boost.

Benchmark crude for May delivery rose $1.33 to settle at $103.88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Heating oil jumped 3.94 cents to settle at $3.0012 a gallon. Gasoline futures climbed 10.13 cents to settle at $3.3797 a gallon, while natural gas for June delivery increased 8.7 cents to settle at $4.303 per 1,000 cubic feet.

For the most part, Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. participates in the exploration, development, production, and transportation of natural gas and oil in the United States.

Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) closed at $37.13, rising $0.62, or 1.70 percent.

Carrizo (CRZO) (UPL) (WTI) (LUFK) (XOM) Trade Up as Oil Prices Rebound

Most oil and related companies performed strong Monday, as Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO), Ultra Petroleum (NYSE:UPL), W&T Offshore (NYSE:WTI), Lufkin Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUFK) and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) traded up as the price of oil rebounded.

Gastar was the only one of the list above to close down Monday.

Crude oil for June delivery climbed $5.37 to settle at $102.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the largest one-day boost since February 22.

Brent crude for June settlement jumped $6.77, or 6.2 percent, to $115.90 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.

Wholesale gasoline prices soared 5 percent on Monday to $3.20 a gallon on fears that refineries in Mississippi may have to shut down because of the Mississippi River flooding.

The average U.S. price of a gallon of regular gasoline Monday fell by a penny to $3.96, according to AAA.

Immediate delivery futures of Texas crude oil rose $5.53 to $102.71 a barrel. Natural gas was up 0.06 cents to $4.17 per mbtu, while gasoline prices fell 20.17 cents to 329.18 cents a gallon.

Carrizo Oil & Gas (CRZO) closed Monday at $36.51, climbing $2.24, or 6.54 percent.

Shares of (LUFK) (CRZO) (SLB) (APA) (BP) Trade Mixed as Oil Closed Down 15% Last Week

Companies exposed to oil and the industry traded mixed to end the week, as oil prices plummeted 15 percent last week, taking Lufkin Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUFK), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO), Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB), Apache Corp (NYSE:APA) and BP (NYSE:BP), and others, down with it.

Light, sweet crude oil for June delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange dropped $2.62 to settle at $97.18 a barrel, matching the eight-week low of March 15. The U.S. Oil Fund (USO) closed down 1.1 percent on Friday.

For the week, the June oil futures contract fell 14.7 percent to $113.93.

Light, sweet crude for June delivery fell $2.62, or 2.6%, to close at $97.18 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In London, Brent crude finished the day off $1.67 at $109.13 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Republicans went on the offensive against higher oil and gas prices by passing a bill to hasten the leasing process dragging on in the Gulf of Mexico as the Obama administration drag their feet on taking action. The bill would also require leasing to be allowed off the coast of Virginia.

According to Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), the bill helped push down the price of oil as it sent a message to the market they're serious about the future supply.

All Obama has done so far has obsessed on the fantasy of green, clean or so-called alternative energy; a dubious matter at best, and at worst, ignoring what they country needs now and is available to it.

In other Nymex trading for June contracts, heating oil fell 4.12 cents to $2.8457 a U.S. gallon and gasoline futures were down 0.53 cents to $3.0901 a U.S. gallon. Natural gas fell 3.4 cents to $4.297 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Apache Corp (APA) closed Friday at $124.21, gaining $1.37, or 1.12 percent.

Halliburton (HAL) (NOV) (CLR) (CRZO) (STR) Pressured as Oil Falls

Shares of oil and oil-related companies Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), National-Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE:NOV), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO) and Questar Corporation (NYSE:STR) were pressured Thursday as crude for June delivery dropped below the $100 a barrel mark.

Crude oil for June delivery was down $9.44, or 8.6 percent, to $99.80 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price has fallen 12 percent so far this week, declining every day of the week. Crude has soared 25 percent over the last year.

Gasoline for May delivery was down 22.71 cents, or 6.8 percent, to $3.0954 a gallon on the Nymex, the lowest settlement in five weeks. Gasoline has jumped 39 percent in a year.

Averaged across the nation, regular gasoline at the pump increased 0.3 cent to $3.985 a gallon on Wednesday, according to the website of AAA. That's highest price of gasoline since July 24, 2008.

Heating oil for May delivery was down 25.61 cents, or 8.1 percent, to $2.8869 a gallon on the Nymex. Heating oil has climbed 32 percent over the last year.

The New York Mercantile Exchange reported that oil futures settled at $99.80, down $9.44 or 8.6 percent on Thursday.

Government figures show gasoline demand in America has dropped about 2 percent over the last month, which added to rises in inventory, should push gasoline prices down again.

Questar Corporation (NYSE:STR) closed Thursday at $17.02, dropping $0.13, or 0.76 percent.

Chevron (CVX) (CHK) (BEXP) (CRZO) (HNR) Trade Down on Slowing Oil Demand

Oil companies and other industry-related companies Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE:CHK), Brigham Exploration (NASDAQ:BEXP), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO), Harvest Natural Resources (NYSE:HNR) and Chevron (NYSE:CVX) all closed down Wednesday as oil prices took a breather.

Oil prices dropped after a government report showed that inventories are growing as demand softens in the U.S. Benchmark crude for June delivery was down $1.81 to settle at $109.24 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In other NYMEX trading for June contracts, heating oil fell 4.78 cents to settle at $3.143 a gallon, gasoline futures lost 0.69 cent to $3.3225 a gallon and natural gas was lower by 9.4 cents to $4.644 per 1,000 cubic feet.

The U.S. dollar index shrunk 0.15 percent to $73.01, down from Tuesday's 73.127 close. The dollar index has fallen 7.5 percent so far in 2011.

Brigham Exploration (BEXP) closed Wednesday at $28.50, falling $3.19, or 10.07 percent.

Marathon (MRO) (BOLT) (CLR) (CRZO) (OAS) Drop as Oil Prices Fall

Decreasing demand for fuel has pushed down oil inventories and the price of oil, putting pressure on Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO), Bolt Technology Corp. (NASDAQ:BOLT), Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO) and Oasis Petroleum (NYSE:OAS).

Light, sweet crude for June delivery settled down $2.47, or 2.2%, at $111.05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. London Brent crude for June fell $2.67 to settle at $122.45 a barrel.

Front-month June reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, settled down $1.85 cents, or 0.6%, at $3.3294 a gallon. June heating oil lost 6.13 cents, or 1.9%, to settle at $3.1908 a gallon.

Gasoline prices on average across America have jumped to just under $4.00 a gallon, rising to $3.97 a gallon for regular gas, according to AAA.

Silver is considered the key catalyst for downward pressure on oil prices and trading, as it has become a proxy to some for risk appetite among commodity traders.

After selling out of silver commodity traders followed up with divesting of positions in oil as well.

Even so, it appears the slight strengthening of the U.S dollar played a bit role Tuesday as well.

Oasis Petroleum (OAS) closed Tuesday at $29.12, falling $1.05, or 3.48 percent.

Shell (RDS-A) (NOV) (UPL) (CRZO) (VLO) Trade Down on Volatile Energy Day

Shares of National-Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE:NOV), Ultra Petroleum (NYSE:UPL), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO), Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) and Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-A) closed down on the uncertainty following the death of Osama bin Laden.

Crude futures settled lower Monday after the death of Osama bin Laden stirred up oil markets, as traders attempted to measure the impact of the event on the stability in the Middle East.

Light, sweet crude for June delivery settled 41 cents, or 0.4%, lower at $113.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, in a volatile session that saw both two-and-a-half year highs near $115 a barrel and a decline to $110.82 a barrel.

Brent crude on the ICE futures exchange closed 77 cents lower at $125.12 a barrel.

Front-month June reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, settled 5.05 cents, or 1.5 percent down at $3.3479 a gallon. June heating oil settled 2.37 cents, or 0.7 percent lower at $3.2521 a gallon.

Royal Dutch Shell closed Monday at $77.40, dropping $0.08, or 0.10 percent.

Chesapeake (CHK) (XCO) (CRZO) (UPL) Trade Up on Gas, Oil Price Jumps

Exco Resources Inc. (NYSE:XCO), Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE:CHK), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO) and Ultra Petroleum (NYSE:UPL) close up Friday as oil and gasoline prices jump again.

Nymex light, sweet crude oil for June delivery rose $1.07 a barrel, to $113.93 a barrel. That's the highest close in two-a-half-years.

On Nymex, reformulated gasoline blendstock futures for May delivery expired at $3.4648 a gallon, up 3.5 cents Friday. That is the highest level since July 14, 2008. Prices have soared 23.17 cents, or 7.2 percent, over the past week.

AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report said the nationwide average price of regular gasoline was $3.909 a gallon Friday, up 6.1 cents from last week.

May heating oil expired at $3.2558 a gallon, up 2.42 cents, and the highest since April 8.

Tightening inventory and higher gasoline prices continue to push oil prices up. Another major factor, as it is with most commodities, is the ongoing collapse of the U.S. dollar. That will continue based on Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's comments he's not going to raise interest rates.

Chesapeake closed Friday at $33.67, gaining $0.45, or 1.35 percent.

Carrizo (CRZO) (CPE) (ROSE) (NOV) (VLO) Close Mixed as Oil, Gas Rise

Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ:CRZO), Callon Petroleum (NYSE:CPE), Rosetta Resources (NASDAQ:ROSE), National-Oilwell Varco, Inc. (NYSE:NOV) and Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) closed mixed as oil, gasoline and natural gas moved up in price Thursday.

Oil settled higher in volatile trading Thursday, pushed up by a collapsing U.S. dollar. After soaring to close to $114 a barrel, West Texas Intermediate crude settled up 10 cents, at $112.86, in futures trading in New York.

Brent North Sea crude oil fell 11 cents to settle at $125.02 a barrel on the Ice Futures exchange.

In futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, natural gas climbed 15.7 cents to settle at $4.63 per million British thermal units.

Gasoline for May delivery jumped 1.04 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $3.4298 a gallon, the highest settlement since July 14, 2008. Futures have risen 47 percent in the past year.

The Dollar Index fell to the lowest level since July 31, 2008. The index was down 0.5 percent to 73.139, its eighth straight daily decline.

PetroQuest (PQ) (CRZO) (SLB) (XOM) Close Up as Oil Settles at $112.21

PetroQuest Energy (NYSE:PQ), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ::CRZO), Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) and Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) closed up as oil for June delivery fell below the $112.21 it settled at, as the American Petroleum Institute reported at 4:30 PM EDT that U.S. crude-oil stockpiles soared 4.91 million barrels to 361 million.

Oil for June delivery settled at $112.21 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil has risen 33 percent in the past year.

Prices dropped from the settlement after the American Petroleum Institute reported at 4:30 p.m. that U.S. crude-oil stockpiles soared 4.91 million barrels to 361 million. June oil was down 49 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $111.79 a barrel in electronic trading at 4:32 PM EDT.

Brent crude for June settlement on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange jumped 48 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $124.14 a barrel.

The dollar fell for a sixth day against the euro, equaling the longest losing streak since May 2009. Expectations are the Federal Reserve will continue to keep measures in to allegedly support the U.S. economy.

Gasoline rose more than 53 cents a gallon from January to March as unrest in Libya threatened its oil fields and helped push oil from $91 to $107 a barrel. The national average for gasoline is closing in on $3.90 a gallon. Diesel is at about $4.14.

Oil averaged $94.64 a barrel between January and March, compared with $78.89 in the same period last year.

Natural gas prices remain low compared with three years ago. It's currently trading at $4.38 per 1,000 cubic feet. In April 2008, natural gas contracts garnered over twice that.

Devon Energy (DVN) (UPL) (ECA) (CRZO) Close Mixed as Oil Prices Pull Back

Oil prices should keep climbing toward the highs of 2008 as growing demand isn't matched by additional supplies and the price jump has been slow to cut into consumption, as Ultra Petroleum (NYSE:UPL), Carrizo Oil & Gas (NASDAQ::CRZO), Encana Corp. (NYSE:ECA) and Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) closed mixed Monday, April 25.

The front-month Brent crude-oil futures contract, the London benchmark, pulled back from a 2½-year high of $127 a barrel on April 11, amid concerns that soaring prices are hurting demand. It settled at $123.66 a barrel on Monday, up 5.4 percent so far in April. The front-month June contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange pulled back one cent to $112.28, still up 5.2 percent this month and 23 percent in 2011.

Benchmark crude for June delivery dropped a penny to settle at $112.28 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude fell 33 cents to settle at $123.66 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

In other Nymex trading, heating oil was down 1.73 cents to settle at $3.1989 a gallon and gasoline futures increased a little less than a penny to settle at $3.2785 a gallon. Natural gas dropped 2.3 cents to $4.389 per 1,000 cubic feet.