Able

While the losses continued last year at Reliant Resources, the company was able to slow the bleeding in the fourth quarter of 2003 to ($29 million), or ($0.10) per share, from continuing operations compared to ($176 million), or ($0.60) per share, for 4Q2002. Reliant reported net income of $32.5 million (11 cents/share) in the fourth quarter compared to a net loss of $648.6 million ($2.23/share) in 4Q2002.

Lehman Brothers analyst Jeffrey W. Robertson is pessimistic about Stone Energy being able to meet its 2003 and 2004 gas production targets and has lowered his share price projections on the company.

Lehman Brothers analyst Jeffrey W. Robertson is pessimistic about Stone Energy being able to meet its 2003 and 2004 gas production targets and has lowered his share price projections on the company.

Feeding off gains notched in the overnight Access trading session, the natural gas futures market was able to string together another positive trading session Tuesday as early short-covering led to new highs for the week. Steady selling was seen throughout the afternoon, but it was not enough to pressure the market below unchanged on the day and the October contract finished with a 1.7-cent advance at $4.511. At 77,470, estimated volume was strong considering the narrow 11-cent trading range.

Hurricane Isabel, packing super-powerful maximum sustained winds of nearly 140 mph and pointing at shooting the gap between southern Florida and Cuba, was accorded most of the credit Wednesday for rallying cash prices and sustaining a futures run-up. Cash market movement ranged from flat to slightly more than a dime higher. Most of the smallest gains were clustered at California and Rocky Mountains/Pacific Northwest points, which tend to be least affected by hurricane disruptions of offshore supply.

The June natural gas futures contract was able to shrug off its second straight negative open Wednesday as buyers entered the fray when it became apparent the market wasn’t going to fill in a key chart gap from late April. The June contract finished at $5.660, up 9.2 cents for the session and 20 cents above its morning low. Gains were even larger in the July contract, which rumbled 10.2 cents higher to $5.735.

With its successful merger of Prize Energy boosting proved reserves a year ago, Magnum Hunter Resources Inc. was able to increase total proved reserves 121% last year, the company said. Based on total capital expenditures of approximately $584 million, Magnum Hunter’s unaudited finding and development cost was about 93 cents/Mcfe.

Algonquin said requests for service had decreased enough that it was able to lift all restrictions through the Cromwell (CT) Compressor Station Thursday. A limited amount of due-shipper imbalance make-up gas is available, the pipeline said. However, it added that forecasts indicate a protracted period of cold weather settling into the Algonquin service area, during which it will be particularly important that shippers balance receipts and deliveries.

Exploration and production (E&P) spending in 2003 is likely to be at least 20% higher than it was in 2002 because natural gas prices will generate substantially larger amounts of free cash flow, according to the latest “Stat Of the Week” by Raymond James Energy analysts.