In a piece for Marketwatch, Michael Brush covers an interesting dichotomy regarding the energy sector. Billionaires like Warren Buffett and company insiders are bullish as evidenced by their large buys since the beginning of the year. However, broader investor sentiment towards the sector remains bearish as evidenced by its low valuations and middling performance this year. 

 Brush believes that the odds favor insiders and Buffett being correct. He also notes that energy stocks are cheap relative to their price to earnings ratios on a 5-year average basis. He also sees OPEC+ cuts over the past few months as a bullish catalyst and notes some unusual factors for why they haven’t been effective in pushing prices higher already. 

He believes that another bullish factor for energy is the relatively low amount of CAPEX. In 2022, investments in oil production were 40% below 2014. This is another positive tailwind for energy prices especially as demand should continue to remain resilient given that the US has so far avoided a recession.  

He recommends seeking out energy stocks with strong patterns of insider buying, low valuations, and above-average yields and expects the sector to outperform in the second-half of the year.

Finsum: Energy stocks are exhibiting low valuations, insider buying, and aggressive buying by billionaires like Warren Buffett.