The S&P Energy Sector -0.1% is trading just below the flat broader market Dec crude oil is +0.2% at $86.26/barrel, Dec natural gas is +0.3% at $3.51/MMBtu, Dec RBOB is +1.6% at $2.74/gallon, and Dec heating oil is +0.7% at $3.02/gallon. Trading higher following earnings/guidance: MTDR (+0.5%); trading lower: HUSA (-15.2%), AXAS (-1.9%). Sector News: NTI (+1.1%) Northern Tier Energy announced early settlement of tender offer for 10.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2017 and Call for Redemption of Remaining 10.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2017, RDS.A (+0.2%) Royal Dutch Shell shut down 25,000 BPD pipeline in Nigeria, according to reports, TOT (flat) Total S.A. is in discussions to sell assets to Nigeria for $2.4 bln, according to reports, AXAS (-1.9%) Abraxas Petroleum Corp to sell its 25% working interest at the Nordheim Project in the Eagle Ford shale to a large institutional buyer for approximately $20 mln, HES (-1.2%) Hess is exploring sale of its Russian subsidiary Samara-Nafta, which produces ~50,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, SDRL (-0.9%) Seadrill Ltd received award for newbuild ultra-deepwater semisubmersible West Mira with start-up in 2015.
Broker Calls: DRQ (+2.4%) Drill-Quip upgraded at Global Hunter; tgt lowred to $76 from $79, ACI (+1.4%) Arch Coal upgraded at BMO Capital Markets, XEC (+0.9%) Cimarex upgraded at Macquarie, CPNO (+0.3%) Copano Energy tgt raised to $41 at Landenburg Thalmann, ETP (+0.1%) Energy Transfer upgraded at BofA/Merrill, SD (-3.6%) SandRidge Eenrgy downgraded at Global Hunter; tgt lowered to $5; downgraded at CapitalOne; tgt lowered to $4 at Canaccord Genuity, EVEP (-2.9%) EV Energy downgraded at Raymond James, HES (-1.1%) Hess downgraded at Howard Weil; tgt lowered to $55, PBR (-0.9%) Petrobras Brasileiro downgraded at BofA/Merrill, ANR (-0.4%) Alpha Naturla Resources upgraded at BMO Capital Mrkts, RIG (-0.4%) Transocean upgraded at Clarkson Capital.






