It seems to be a good idea to relocate money from the oil energy space to the renewable industry. This is because it has become clear looking at the price charts that the biggest names in the oil energy sector are significantly underperforming the renewable energy stocks. In fact, to capitalize on the mounting demand for clean energy, oil biggies have already embarked on energy transition.

Energy Transition

The weak oil pricing scenario owing to the coronavirus pandemic is hurting the overall businesses of big energy players. BP plc (BP), which announced second-quarter results on Aug 4, reported adjusted loss of $1.98 per American Depositary Share (ADS) on a replacement cost basis, excluding non-operating items. The quarterly loss was much wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 99 cents per ADS. Owing to a drop in oil equivalent production, commodity prices and refining marker margin, the British energy firm’s bottom line also deteriorated from the year-ago earnings of 83 cents per ADS.

BP also announced that it has halved its dividend from 63 cents per ADS to 31.5 cents, given the strain in cash flow stemming from low oil price and relatively more debt laden balance sheet than peers. Royal Dutch Shell plc (RDS.A) is another key energy firm that slashed dividend by 66%, citing pandemic-induced gloomy upstream business outlook.

It is quite clear that pumping more and more oil is unlikely to be a feasible option when the companies can’t generate significant cash flows from the oil pumped by them. Also, the energy majors are under pressure from investors to lower carbon emissions. 

With renewables being the fastest-growing energy source in the global market, many of the big oil energy firms are increasing the weightage of clean energy in their portfolio. Notably, BP targets to become a net-zero emissions company by 2050. As a result, in the coming years, the integrated energy player is planning to boost investments in non-oil and gas operations. Royal Dutch Shell is also planning to become a net-zero emission energy firm by 2050. Importantly, Shell intends to slash the carbon intensity of the products sold by roughly 30% within 2035. By 2050, the company plans to lower carbon footprint by 65%.

Stocks in the Spotlight

With the transition of oil majors, it seems to be an opportune moment for energy investors to consider stocks from the renewable energy space. Here, we present one stock carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and three stocks carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). In the year-to-date period, all the four stocks have significantly outperformed the S&P 500 and are well poised to gain further. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Bloom Energy Corporation BE, through the energy server platform, delivers affordable and clean energy to customers like several Fortune 100 companies. In the next five years, this #2 Ranked stock is likely to see earnings growth of 25%. The industry is projected to gain 13.4% in the said period. The stock has gained 126.1% year to date, outperforming S&P 500’s gain of 4.7%.

Canadian Solar Inc. CSIQ is among the leading solar power companies in the world. The company, founded in 2001 in Canada, is one of the largest providers of solar energy solutions and also manufactures solar photovoltaic modules. The stock has gained 20.3% year to date, outperforming the S&P 500. Moreover, in 2020 and 2021, the company is likely to see earnings growth of 18.7% and 43.2%, respectively.

Renewable Energy Group, Inc. REGI is a leading producer of renewable fuels like biodiesel. The stock has witnessed upward earnings estimate revisions for 2020 and 2021 earnings in the past 30 days. Year to date, the company has gained 39.8%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index.

First Solar, Inc. FSLR is among the major companies engaged in providing photovoltaic solar energy solutions across the world. In 2020 and 2021, the stock is likely to see earnings growth of 97.9% and 13%, respectively. Year to date, the company has gained 35.6%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index.

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