Category Archives: Energy News

Chevron Supplies You With A Safe Harbor

Chevron Corporation (CVX) is quite an amazing company. It is famous for exploring and producing oil and natural gas. However, it also manufacturers and transports gasoline, fuel additives, and refined petrol products under the brands Texaco, Chevron and Caltex. In addition, Chevron makes lubricants for automobile, industry and marine customers. It also has a shipping fleet and pipelines to transport its products. These are the core businesses and there are other non-core businesses.

As far as fundamentals are concerned Chevron earned $19.024 billion for the year ending in December 2010 as compared with the year ending in Dec. 2009 where they earned only 10.483 billion. In and the year ending in 2008 Chevron earned $23.981 billion.

From July, 2010 until April 2011, the stock rose constantly progressing from $68 to $110. Since May 2011, the stock has risen and fallen three times, within a range of $90 to $110. The stock last closed at 92.77 so now might be a good time to buy. The company also issues quarterly stock dividends with a yield of 3.38%.  All in all, this seems to be a good solid investment for recessionary times.

Disclaimer: The information here is not complete enough to make investment decisions. All investment decisions should be based on a thorough analysis of the investment involved.

Some of the influential people at Chevron are: Wesley E. Lohec,   Matthew J. Foehr, Rhonda I. Zygocki,   Patricia E. Yarrington, Linnet F. Deily, and Joe W. Laymon.

World Fuel Services Continues To Grow!

World Fuel Services markets land, aviation and marine fuel products at over 6000 locations in more than 200 countries. It sells to tanker truck loading terminals, fuel storage centers, seaports and airports.

World Fuel Services has had growing profits for the last 13 quarters, since 2008. In the second quarter of2011, the marine service division had a gross profit increase of 17% to $50,700,000 year over year. The aviation division had a gross profit increase of 55% to $82,000,000 and the land service division had a whopping 182% increase since last year to $32,400,000.

The stock has managed to hold its own over the last year in spite of market volatility. The company also regularly pays quarterly dividends which helps investors’ liquidity.

The management team works successfully together. There is also a positive management change underway. The present CEO, Paul H. Stebbins will be transferring all of his energies to serve as Executive Chairman. Michael J. Kasbar, who has been with the company since 1995, will be promoted from Chief Operating Officer to CEO. Ira M. Birns, CFO, Michael S. Clementi, President of the Aviation division, Francis X. Shea, Executive VP, R. Alexander Lake, Senior VP and General Counsel, and Paul M. Nobel, Senior VP and Chief Accounting officer will all continue in their current positions.

The Development of ESCOs in New York

ESCO stands for Energy Service Company. ESCOs developed as a result of legislation in New York which deregulated the energy industry, allowing consumers to choose their preferred energy provider. In the past this choice did not exist. The government tightly controlled the energy market and consumers had to rely only on the government’s choice of energy provider. Deregulation broke up the energy monopolies and allowed competition into the energy marketplace.

There are many ESCOs today to choose from in New York, depending where in the state you live. Companies such as HIKO Energy, MXenergy and the Energy Cooperative of New York, Inc., all purchase the electricity which consumers use and supply the service consumers expect, keeping prices down and service up.

Since there is now competition for customers, pricing is now competitive and there is more of an incentive for the various companies to develop new technologies in order to better serve their customer base. Yet delivery of energy is still the responsibility of the utility, and they will maintain responsibility for controlling the delivery system that is already in place.

Working in conjunction with the ESCOs such as MXenergy, the Energy Cooperative of New York and HIKO Energy, consumers can rest assured that not only are they getting the power they need, but it is being supplied in the most cost efficient and effective means possible.

How exactly to companies like HIKO Energy, MX Energy and the Energy Cooperative of New York compete? Here are some of the ways:

  • Many of the ESCOs, including HIKO Energy, do not charge an enrollment or switching over fee.
  • The Energy Cooperative of New York, as a not-for-profit, member owned cooperative can sometime offer discounts to commercial and residential customers, as often other ESCOs do as well.
  • Certain ESCOs put more of their focus on customer service and relations, for instance MXenergy, which supplies power to 15 different deregulated areas throughout the US and two more in Canada

Deregulation of the energy companies has brought the freedom to choose to the people. When consumers research the different services and prices which the ESCOs supply, they can then make an educated decision about which ESCO is best for them.