ExxonMobil (XOM) (HAL) (SLB) (CVX) (NBL) Among Top 2012 Picks

With stability and predictability major considerations for 2012, energy companies are among the attractive investment candidates for the year, led by ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM), Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB), Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and Noble Energy (NYSE:NBL).

With the majority of investment advisors' top picks doing horrible last year, they're attempting to build out some credibility by focusing on and recommending large-cap stocks that don't have a lot of downside risk.

These of course inevitably include large energy companies which are assured of continuing demand like those mentioned above, which are all on the 2012 lists of many institutional investors.

Exxon Mobil was trading at $85.14, down $0.13, or 0.15 percent, as of 11:06 AM EST. Halliburton was at $34.25, up $0.46, or 1.36 percent. Schlumberger was at $67.68, gaining $0.27, or 0.40 percent. Chevron was at $106.85, falling $0.62, or 0.58 percent. Noble Energy was trading at $94.73, dropping $1.30, or 1.35 percent.

Halliburton (HAL) (GTLS) (HEI) (HOS) (HP) Price Targets Changed

Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), Chart Industry (NASDAQ: GTLS), HEICO (NYSE: HEI), Hornbeck Offshore (NYSE: HOS) and Helmerich & Payne (NYSE: HP) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Chart Industry (GTLS) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital (NYSE:BCS) from $66.00 to $86.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Halliburton (HAL) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital from $60.00 to $67.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

HEICO (HEI) had its price target raised by DA Davidson to $55.00.

Hornbeck Offshore (HOS) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital from $41.00 to $55.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Helmerich & Payne (HP) had its price target raised by Barclays Capital from $61.00 to $68.00. They have an “Equal Weight” rating on the company.

Noble (NE) (NLY) (OII) (HAL) (HERO) (HP) (HTS) Get New Coverage

Noble Corp. (NYSE: NE), Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE: NLY), Oceaneering International (NYSE: OII), Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), Hercules Offshore, Inc. (NASDAQ: HERO), Helmerich & Payne (NYSE: HP) and Hatteras Financial Corp. (NYSE: HTS) getting new coverage from analysts.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) initiated coverage on Noble Corp. (NE). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) initiated coverage on Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NLY). They placed an “Equal Weight” rating and a price target of $18.00 on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) initiated coverage on Oceaneering International (OII). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on Halliburton (HAL). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on Hercules Offshore, Inc. (HERO). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on Helmerich & Payne (HP). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Hatteras Financial Corp. (HTS). They placed an “Equal Weight” rating and a price target of $29.00 on the company.

Halliburton (HAL) (PCCC) (PM) (PSUN) (GIII) (GIL) Ratings, Price Targets

Halliburton (HAL), Pc Connection Inc. (PCCC), Philip Morris (PM), Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. (PSUN), G-III Apparel (GIII) and Gildan Activewear (GIL) ratings and price targets.

Raymond James (NYSE:RJF) downgraded Pc Connection Inc. (PCCC) from an “Outperform” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Nomura downgraded Philip Morris (PM) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) upgraded Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. (PSUN) from an “Underweight” rating to a “Neutral” rating. They have a price target of $2.00 on the company.

Zacks Investment Research downgraded G-III Apparel (GIII) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Zacks Investment Research downgraded Gildan Activewear (GIL) from a “Neutral” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) initiated coverage on Halliburton (HAL). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Guess (GES) (PCP) (PDC) (PNSN) (HAL) (HPQ) Ratings, Price Targets

Guess Inc. (GES), Precision Castparts (PCP), Pioneer Drilling Company (PDC), Penson Worldwide, Inc. (PNSN), Halliburton (HAL) and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) ratings and price targets.

Sterne Agee initiated coverage on Precision Castparts (PCP). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $190.00 on the company.

Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) downgraded Pioneer Drilling Company (PDC) to a “Hold” rating. They have a price target of $10.50 on the company.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated its “Neutral” rating on Penson Worldwide, Inc. (PNSN).

Brean Murray lowered its price target on Guess Inc. (GES) from $44.00 to $39.00. Thy have a “Buy” rating on the company.

Jefferies initiated coverage on Halliburton (HAL). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

RBC Capital upgraded Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) from a “Sector Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Halliburton (HAL) to Acquire Multi-Chem Group

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) announced today it has entered into a deal with Multi-Chem Group to acquire the company. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Multi-Chem is a major provider of completion chemicals and oilfield production.

According to Halliburton's Marc Edwards, the senior vice president of completion and production, "Today's increasingly complicated reservoirs and their diverse, multi-phase flow regimes demand a comprehensive approach to production optimization."

Halliburton added that Multi-Chem has provided over 30,000 oil and natural gas-producing wells across the North American continent.

In the U.S., Halliburton expects the rig count to grow by close to 10 percent annually through 2015. That takes into account a slow economy but not a deep recession as in 2008.

Energy analysts at the oil services giant said this, "Looking into 2012 and beyond, we expect oil drilling to continue to increase ... Beyond 2012, we anticipate that drilling activity will continue to march upward, driven by strong oil prices, outstanding horizontal oil returns and numerous undrilled oily prospects."

Halliburton was trading at $39.92, down $1.62, or 3.90 percent, as of 2:00 PM EDT.

BP (BP) (APC) (COP) (XOM) (RDS-A) (HAL) (CVX) (MRO) Jumped Monday

BP (NYSE:BP), Anadarko (NYSE:APC), Conoco (NYSE:COP), Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), Shell (NYSE:RDS-A), Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) all closed up Monday on news consumer spending was slightly up.

Crude for October delivery climbed $1.90 to $87.27 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest settlement since Aug. 17. Prices have dropped 4.5 percent this year.

Brent oil for October settlement jumped 52 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $111.88 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The European benchmark traded at a premium of $24.61 to U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures, compared with a record $26.21 on Aug. 19.

Marathon closed at $26.41, gaining $0.52. or 2.01 percent. Chevron closed at $98.74, jumping $1.89, or 1.95 percent. Halliburton ended the session at $42.81, climbing $1.35, or 3.26 percent. Royal Dutch Shell closed at $65.33, rising $1.11, or 1.73 percent. Exxon closed at $74.12, increasing $1.48, or 2.04 percent. Conoco closed the day at $67.78, up $2.27, or 3.47 percent. Anadarko closed at $71.75, gaining $2.48, or 3.58 percent. BP closed at $39.25, rising $1.06, or 2.78 percent.

Cisco (CSCO) (AXP) (BK) (COKE) (HAL) Ratings Reiterated

Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), American Express (NYSE: AXP), Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK), Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated (NASDAQ: COKE) and Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) had their ratings reiterated by analysts.

Jefferies maintains a "Hold" rating on Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO).

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated a "Buy" rating on American Express (AXP).

Goldman Sachs reiterated a "Neutral" rating on Bank of New York Mellon (BK).

Goldman Sachs maintains a "Buy" rating on Coca-Cola Bottling Co. (COKE).

Morgan Keegan reiterated an "Outperform" rating on Halliburton (HAL).

Bank of New York Mellon closed Tuesday at $24.73, gaining $0.09, or 0.37 percent. American Express ended the session at $51.81, jumping $0.48, or 0.94 percent.

Halliburton (HAL) Price Target Boosted by Several Analysts

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) had its price target boosted by numerous analysts in response to a stellar quarter and strong outlook.

Halliburton generated net income of $511 million, or $0.56 a share, against $206 million, or $0.23 a share, for the same quarter in 2010. Revenue soared to $5.28 billion in the quarter, a 40 percent increase over last year.

The North American market led the way for Halliburton, with revenue climbing 75 percent.

Significant contracts ensure the company will continue to perform strongly over the next several years.

Halliburton (HAL) had its price target raised by analysts at Howard Weil from $63.00 to $73.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Barclays Capital raised its price target on Halliburton to $74.00. They have an “overweight” rating on the company.

Wunderlich raised its price target on Halliburton from $65.00 to $75.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

FBR Capital raised its price target on Halliburton from $72.00 to $80.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) raised its price target to $70.00 on the Halliburton.

Susquehanna raised its price target on Halliburton to $64.00.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised its price target on Halliburton from $63.00 to $68.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Halliburton closed Tuesday at $55.38, gaining $2.26, or 4.25 percent.

Halliburton (HAL) (CI) (AMD) (AET) (AKAM) Price Targets Changed

Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), CIGNA Co. (NYSE: CI), Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) and Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) price targets adjusted.

Wedbush boosted its price target on Aetna Inc. (AET) to $45.00.

Collins Stewart cut its price target on Akamai Technologies (AKAM) from $45.00 to $39.00. They have a "Neutral" rating on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) slashed its price target on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to $7.00. They have a "Neutral" rating on the company.

Wedbush increased its price target on CIGNA Co. (CI) to $52.00.

RBC Capital raised its price target on Halliburton (HAL) from $65.00 to $67.00. They have an "Outperform" rating on the company.

Halliburton closed Thursday at $51.83, falling $0.79, or 1.50 percent. Cigna ended the day at $52.06, gaining $0.94, or 1.84 percent. Advanced Micro Devices closed at $6.44, dropping $0.04, or 0.62 percent. Aetna closed at $43.44, rising $0.05, or 0.12 percent. Akamai Technologies closed at $29.62, down $1.33, or 4.30 percent.

Halliburton (HAL) (DD) (AEIS) (AEP) (SBUX) Price Targets Changed by Analysts

Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), DuPont (NYSE: DD), Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: AEIS), American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) and Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) had their price targets changed by analysts.

Argus raised their price target on Halliburton (HAL) from $56.00 to $63.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Ticonderoga raised their price target on DuPont (DD) from $70.00 to $75.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Citigroup (NYSE:C) cut their price target on Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (AEIS) to $16.00.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their price target on American Electric Power (AEP) to $39.00. They have a “neutral” rating on the company.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) raised their price target on Starbucks (SBUX) to $46.00.

Starbucks closed Wednesday at $40.42, down $0.53, or 1.29 percent. American Electric Power closed at $38.50, falling $0.01, or 0.03 percent. Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. ended the day at $13.16, dropping $0.11, or 0.79 percent. DuPont closed at $55.20, jumping $0.75, or 1.38 percent. Halliburton ended at $52.66, climbing $0.51, or 0.98 percent.

Conoco (COP) (XOM) (RDS-A) (HAL) (CVX) Trading Mixed

Shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP), Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), Shell (NYSE:RDS-A), Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) and Chevron (NYSE:CVX) 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.

Chevron (CVX) was trading at $103.43, falling $0.44, or 0.42 percent, as of 1:51 PM EDT. Halliburton (HAL) was at $47.35, gaining $0.45, or 0.96 percent. Shell (RDS-A) was trading at $70.00, down $0.63, or 0.89 percent. Exxon Mobil (XOM) was at $82.04, losing $0.29, or 0.35 percent. Conoco (COP) was trading at $72.88, up $0.18, or 0.25 percent.

Halliburton (HAL) Board Declares Dividend

The Board of Directors of of Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.09 per share, payable 6/22/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/1/11.

Halliburton, along with other energy companies with exposure to oil, have struggled over the last few days as oil prices have corrected after trading high.

The energy giant supplies a variety of products and services to the energy industry for the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas around the world.

Halliburton closed Thursday at $46.90, down $0.06, or 0.13 percent.

Dividends on (HAL) (SNI) (FTF) (FT) Declared

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL), Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. (NYSE:SNI), Franklin Templeton Limited Duration Income Trust (AMEX:FTF) and Franklin Universal Trust (NYSE:FT) declare dividends.

The Board of Directors of Halliburton Company (HAL) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.09 per share payable 6/22/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 6/1/11.

The Board of Directors of Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. (SNI) declared a quarterly common stock dividend of $0.075 per share payable 6/10/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 5/31/11.

The Board of Directors of Franklin Templeton Limited Duration Income Trust (FTF) declared a May 11 common stock dividend of $0.083 per share payable 6/15/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 5/31/11.

The Board of Directors of Franklin Universal Trust (FT) declared a May 11 common stock dividend of $0.038 per share payable 6/15/11 to shareholders of record at the close of business on 5/31/11.

Anadarko (APC) (RIG) (HAL) (CAM) (MRO) Rising on Lower Gas Inventory

Shares of oil companies Anadarko (NYSE:APC), Transocean (NYSE:RIG), Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), Cameron International (NYSE:CAM) and Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) were trading up today after a report from the Energy Information Administration saying gas inventory was up less than expected and oil inventory was flat.

Light, sweet crude West Texas Intermediate oil for June delivery is up $3.61 to $100.52 a barrel on the Nymex.

Brent crude July contracts rose $2.74 to $112.73 a barrel.

This could be an indicator that refinery demand may possibly be on the rebound.

MF Global wrote in a note to clients, “We think oil prices will continue to erode and we still think $90 is a reasonable short-term target on WTI, although short-term, we are getting a tad oversold and may be in for a bounce here.”

Marathon Oil (MRO) was trading at $51.30, gaining $1.27, or 2.54 percent, as of 2:26 PM EDT. Cameron International (CAM) was at $47.87, up $0.10, or 0.21 percent. Halliburton (HAL) was trading at $46.92, jumping $1.59, or 3.51 percent. Transocean (RIG) was at $67.90, rising $0.89, or 1.33 percent. Anadarko (NYSE:APC) was trading at $72.96, gaining $0.41, or 0.57 percent.

Shares of (APC) (RIG) (HAL) (CVX) (MRO) Close Down

Anadarko (NYSE:APC), Transocean (NYSE:RIG), Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), Chevron (NYSE:CVX) and Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) all closed down on Tuesday as energy prices were falling

Benchmark crude for June delivery dropped 47 cents to settle at $96.91 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell as low as $95.02 during the trading session.

Natural gas was down 3 percent, falling 13.3 cents to $4.246 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In Nymex trading in June contracts, heating oil fell 2.93 cents to settle at $2.8451 per gallon, gasoline futures were down 1.18 cents to settle at $2.9193 a gallon and natural gas declined 13.3 cents to settle at $4.246 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude for June delivery was lower by 85 cents to settle at $109.99 on the ICE Futures exchange.

Chevron (CVX) closed Tuesday at $100.41, falling $0.46, or 0.46 percent.

Halliburton (HAL) Trades Down as Oil Continues to Fall in Price

The falling price of oil pressured the share price of the oil giant Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Monday, as crude futures continue to move downward in May. T

U.S. crude futures were down 2.3 percent and gasoline futures dropped 5 percent to hit a nine-week low as worries mounted about high prices squelching energy demand and the fragile economy weigh on the industry.

Crude futures have fallen close to 15 percent so far on the month.

Oil futures were down 2.3 percent to $97.37 a barrel in New York. June Brent fell to $112.87, down 1 percent for Monday.

Gasoline futures for June delivery declined 14 cents, or 5.01 percent, to end the session at $2.93 a gallon, the lowest close since March 16.

U.S. gasoline at the retail level fell to $3.955 Monday from $3.961 Sunday. Diesel prices dropped $4.123 from $4.127.

June natural gas closed up 7 cents, or 1.7 percent, at $4.32 per million British thermal units. Natural gas prices were up on concerns flooding in Louisiana may cut back on supply.

Heating oil futures were down Monday, with the June heating oil contract closing at $2.87 a gallon, down 7 cents, or 2.3 percent.

Halliburton Company supplies a variety products and services to the energy industry for the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas around the world.

Halliburton (HAL) closed Monday at $45.43, down $0.57, or 1.24 percent.

Halliburton (HAL) (FTI) (CPE) (XCO) (DVN) Trade Mixed as Oil Prices Rebounded Friday

Shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL), FMC Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:FTI), Callon Petroleum (NYSE:CPE), Exco Resources Inc. (NYSE:XCO) and Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) traded mixed even 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.

Halliburton (HAL) closed Friday at $46.00, falling $0.64, or 1.37 percent.

Brigham (BEXP) (WLL) (WTI) (DRQ) (HAL) Trade Positive as Oil, Gas Rise

Crude oil, natural gas and gasoline prices jumped Tuesday, pushing up the share prices of Brigham Exploration (NASDAQ:BEXP), Whiting Petroleum (NYSE:WLL), W&T Offshore (NYSE:WTI), Dril-Quip, Inc. (NYSE:DRQ) and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL).

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.

Uncertainty remains as to the effects of the flooding along the Mississippi River could have on regional refinery operations, which could slow down gasoline production and put upward pressure on prices.

Dril-Quip, Inc. (DRQ) closed at $69.67, up $1.67, or 2.46 percent.

Callon (CPE) (TAT) (FTK) (TSO) (HAL) Trade Mixed as Oil Prices Rebound

Most oil and related companies performed strong Monday, as Callon Petroleum (NYSE:CPE), TransAtlantic Petroleum (NYSE:TAT), Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE:FTK), Tesoro Corporation (NYSE:TSO) and Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) traded mixed as the price of oil rebounded.

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.

Halliburton (HAL) closed Monday at $48.06, climbing $1.39, or 2.98 percent.