The Williams Companies, Inc. (WMB.F)

Portfolio manager shares his top oil, energy stock plays

Tortoise senior portfolio manager and managing director Rob Thummel joins Market Domination to discuss the best energy plays and how oil commodities (CL=F, BZ=F) may be affected by Hurricane Francine. Thummel is bullish on energy infrastructure, explaining that it has performed "really well" this year while still trading at a discount relative to its historical valuation. He points to names like Williams Companies (WMB), Oneok (OKE), and Targa Resources (TRGP) as examples, noting they "still have a lot of room to run" and will offer investors a 4 to 5% dividend yield that will only grow. He notes that Energy Transfer (ET) offers about an 8% dividend yield and predicts it to grow between 3% and 5%. He argues that these energy companies "generate steady, consistent earnings," adding, "then they convert those earnings into cash and then turn around and pay that cash back to the shareholder in the form of higher dividends and stock buybacks." As Hurricane Francine barrels toward Louisiana, Thummel notes that 48% of US refining capacity exists on the Gulf Coast. However, the hurricane shouldn't be too much cause for concern as it appears to be moving further east. He notes that refinery operations in Baton Rouge will likely have to either shut down or reduce production temporarily, but other refineries should be able to operate as normal. "Keep in mind, this is not the first hurricane, obviously, that these energy companies have gone through. They've done a really good job. Management teams have done a really good job of making their assets more hurricane-resistant. And so that's really benefiting all of us because we don't have to worry about these long disruptions that cause significant price hikes... during the hurricane season itself." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Melanie Riehl