2026년 2월 17일 · Unknown · financial · 출처 Yahoo Finance
A mix of factors has lifted oil prices after they hit a 12-month low in December. Heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East – particularly concerns about supply risks linked to Iran – have supported crude benchmarks, as well as ongoing uncertainty around production from sanctioned exporters such as Venezuela. Broader shifts in market sentiment tied to U.S. policy rhetoric and risk appetite have also contributed to volatility in energy markets.
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Any sustained rise in oil prices would ripple through the broader economy. However, senior energy analysts at Goldman Sachs argue that volatility can also create opportunity. In a recent note, the team highlighted three energy stocks they believe are well positioned in the current environment.
Goldman’s selections span multiple segments of the energy complex, including exploration and production, midstream infrastructure, and utilities, reinforcing the case for diversification.
Each stock also carries a Strong Buy consensus rating on Wall Street, according to TipRanks data. With that context in mind, let’s take a closer look at what sets these names apart.
Viper Energy(VNOM)
Goldman’s exploration and production (E&P) pick is Viper energy, a limited partnership firm that owns and exploits oil and natural gas assets in North America. The company acquires assets in the form of mineral rights and royalty interests, located in high-margin hydrocarbon areas that are mainly undeveloped. Viper’s business model is designed to sustain free cash flow without requiring high demands on capital.
Viper is a subsidiary of the Texas-based E&P firm Diamondback Energy, and uses that relationship to inform its purchases of assets, particularly royalty interests. Diamondback, in turn, is the primary operator on Viper’s assets, and has a clear incentive to develop those acres for improved consolidated returns. The mutual relationship benefits both companies – and Viper’s shareholders.
The shareholders gain because they are the ‘primary business’ for Viper. The company has prioritized providing attractive shareholder returns as a business goal, which it does by loading up on mineral and royalty assets in the Permian basin, one of Texas’ richest hydrocarbon-bearing formations.
Investors should be aware of a couple of important developments with Viper in recent months. In August of last year, the company acquired Sitio Royalties in an all-equity transaction that brought Sitio’s assets under Viper’s rubric. The new assets were integrated into Viper’s operations during 3Q25.
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This was followed in November by the announcement that Viper had entered into an agreement to sell off its non-Permian assets to an affiliate of GRP Energy Capital and Warwick Capital Partners. This transaction was valued at $670 million, and is expected to close during 1Q26.
Viper pays out a 33-cent regular dividend to shareholders, with the last payment sent out on November 20. It was accompanied by a 25-cent variable dividend – Viper has a history in recent years of adding variable dividends to the regular payment. The regular dividend annualizes to $1.32 per common share and gives a 3% forward yield, while the addition of the variable increased the yield to 5.2%.
In 3Q25, the last period reported, Viper realized an adjusted net income of $0.40 per share, beating the forecast by a penny. The company finished Q3 with $53 million in cash and liquid assets on hand.
For Goldman’s Neil Mehta, an expert on the energy industry, Viper presents a combination of sound valuation and a positive outlook going forward. He writes of the company, “We see VNOM as a stock with positive valuation support given shares trade at a 10% FCF yield on our 2027 estimates (using $70/bbl Brent oil) – a modest premium relative to oily E&P peer average of 11%. We continue to highlight the benefits of VNOM’s no-capex royalty business model which supports VNOM’s meaningful return of capital commitments (at least 75% of cash available for distribution to shareholders) and low dividend breakeven of ~$30/bbl WTI. While the announced non-Permian assets sales are still pending close, we remain constructive on the long-term benefits stemming from the close relationship between VNOM and FANG as well as the shareholder return profile of the pro-forma, pure-play Permian business in an uncertain oil environment.”
Mehta, a 5-star analyst, puts a Buy rating on VNOM along with a $54 price target that points toward a one-year upside potential of 22%. (To watch Mehta’s track record, click here)
The Strong Buy consensus rating on VNOM shares is unanimous, based on 11 recent positive analyst reviews. The stock is trading for $44.25 and its $50.8 average target price implies a gain of 15% in the coming year. (See VNOM stock forecast)
Cheniere Energy (LNG)
Next on our list is a midstream company, Cheniere Energy. Midstreamers move energy assets from one point to another in the global energy sector; in the case of Cheniere, that means converting natural gas into LNG, or liquefied natural gas, for the export market. Natural gas is in high demand – it is an abundant, relatively clean-burning fossil fuel, and the technology to handle, transport, and use it safely is already established. Cheniere’s business is buying natural gas from North America’s robust gas production sector, converting it to LNG, and selling it on the global market.
To handle this, Cheniere holds a range of gas transport and liquefaction assets. Among these, the Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi facilities are key nodes; both are LNG liquefaction facilities and export terminals. The Sabine Pass facility started export operations in 2016, and has six operational ‘trains,’ or liquefaction units. The Corpus Christi facility, a…