Jun 23, 2022
Today, we’re inundated with news of inflation and fears of recession. While these are real issues that will take many companies down, there’s more to the story.
As Mad Money host Jim Cramer famously says, “There’s always a bull market somewhere.”
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Even if you decide to stay away from certain stocks, you can find opportunities in others. Here are two bull market industries and stocks that are seeing strong growth tailwinds.
The natural gas industry is firing on all cylinders
Natural gas is currently trading at almost $10, more than 200% higher than last year.
This is easily explained, as there are strong demand and supply forces at work. On the demand side, the growing LNG industry has opened up North America’s natural-gas sector to strong global demand. According to the Energy Information Association, LNG exports are up almost 20% this year.
On the supply side, North American natural gas is the cleanest, cheapest, most abundant, and most reliable. However, North American infrastructure constraints have put pressure on supply, driving up prices.
Furthermore, natural-gas supply from other countries is flat-out unreliable, also driving prices higher.
Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK)
This $13-billion oil-and-gas producer has assets in prolific basins such as Haynesville, in East Texas and Western Louisiana, and the Marcellus basin, which stretches from upstate New York through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.
Natural gas accounts for 85% of Chesapeake’s production — a great positive given the bullish state of the natural gas industry today.
Also, the company has a prime position close to the Gulf Coast, where many LNG terminals are located. In fact, more than 2 billion cubic feet of Chesapeake’s natural gas is immediately adjacent to LNG terminals in the Gulf Coast.
This translates into a bright future, as the company is working on securing contracts for its gas to these LNG terminals. This will provide access to higher LNG pricing as well as greater diversification.
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Similar to most natural-gas producers today, Chesapeake is generating massive amounts of cash flow: Management expects to generate greater than $9 billion in cash flow over the next five years. In its latest quarter, it generated $532 million in adjusted free cash flow — more than 50% higher than last year and the highest quarterly amount in its history.
Much of this cash flow will be returned to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases, both of which are catalysts to get the stock moving higher.
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The digitization trend takes IT consulting firms higher
As the benefits of digitization have become increasingly clear, this trend is spurring a bull market in the tech world.
The banking industry, among other industries, is in a rush to digitize. Hampered by out-of-date technology platforms, banks are seeing the writing on the wall. Digitization is necessary in order to remain competitive. And the banks are all in.
For example, Citigroup Inc. is embarking on an “aggressive growth strategy.” As Jonathon Lofthouse, head of markets and enterprise risk technology, puts it, “Those firms that can digitize fastest are going to create competitive advantage.”
CGI Inc. (GIB)
This Canadian information technology services consulting firm has established itself as a leading player with a strong global presence.
CGI has grown from a startup in 1976 to a $17 billion firm today.
Within this space, demand from financial institutions is strong and growing fast. CGI’s latest quarter showed strong growth in most areas, with banking standing out once again.
The company posted strong revenue growth, accompanied by a 14% increase in EPS.
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Karen Thomas, CFA, is a freelance contributor to Moneywise.
