Revises

Days after the company announced it would officially exit the wholesale energy marketing and trading business by the end of the third quarter, Kansas City-based Aquila Inc. reported a loss of $5.69 per share for the second quarter, compared to earnings per share of $1.21 in the second quarter of 2001.

Driven by pipeline earnings within its master limited partnership (MLP) and a solid performance from fee-based assets, Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) reported a 29% increase in second quarter earnings on Wednesday. The company also announced major changes to its executive compensation policies to more closely align with what the CEO called shareholder interests.

Driven by pipeline earnings within its master limited partnership (MLP) and a solid performance from fee-based assets, Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) reported a 29% increase in second quarter earnings on Wednesday. The company also announced major changes to its executive compensation policies to more closely align with what the CEO called shareholder interests.

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) said Tuesday that it affirmed its ‘BBB’ corporate credit ratings on holding company NiSource Inc. and its subsidiaries and upgraded its outlook from ‘Negative’ to ‘Stable.’

After a misguided attempt to rally Thursday morning, natural gas futures moved lower as traders pieced together a mixed bag of data released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The June contract was hit with two waves of local and fund trader selling — one following the 10:30 a.m. EDT storage report and the other near the 2:30 p.m. closing bell. The June contract suffered the greatest loss, dipping 18.3 cents to close at $6.131.

Burlington Resources Inc. said last week that it is raising its first quarter production guidance and has resumed repurchasing shares of its common stock under an existing $1 billion repurchase authorization.

Burlington Resources Inc. said Thursday that it is upping its first quarter production guidance from the outlook provided earlier in the year. The company also reported that it has resumed repurchasing shares of its common stock under an existing $1 billion repurchase authorization.

While affirming Kerr-McGee Corp.’s ‘BBB’ long-term corporate credit and senior unsecured ratings and its ‘A-2’ short-term corporate credit and commercial paper ratings, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) said Monday that the company’s outlook was revised to stable from positive.

Natural gas and oil producers are resting at ease as natural gas prices are poised to end 2002 near $5.00/MMBtu and oil prices are clinging to $26/bbl, noted a new report by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P). The rating agency raised its gas price forecast last week to $2.75-3.00 (Nymex equivalent), which may appear conservative compared to other forecasts in the $3.60s or higher (EIA) and Nymex highs last week in the $5.30s.