For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 19, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: D.R. Horton (DHI), Pulte (PHM), Owens Corning (OC), Masco (MAS) and EnCana Corporation (ECA).

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Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:

Housing Starts, Permits Plunge

Housing prices are still under pressure, despite unprecedented steps by the Federal government and the Federal Reserve to prop up the price of that asset class. Artificial government support is not as durable a way to prop up prices as a better balance between supply and demand

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EnCana Corporation (ECA) – a major Canadian oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) company – reported weak third quarter results, hit by lower prices and volumes. Operating earnings per share, excluding hedging and foreign exchange effects, came in at $1.03. This fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.11 and way behind the year-ago profit of $1.92.  Revenues were down 64.2% year over year to $3.9 billion. During the quarter, total production was down 7.0% to 4,387 million cubic feet equivalent per day (MMcfe/d), of which 81% was natural gas. Natural gas production decreased roughly 9.3% year-over-year to 3,551 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d), while oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs) production was up 3.7% to 139 thousand barrels per day (MBbls/d).  Key Resource Plays  Production of natural gas from key resource plays was down approximately 6.5% year-over-year to 3,410 MMcfe/d, primarily ...

MarkWest Energy Partners L.P. (MWE), a master limited partnership (MLP), reported weaker-than-expected third quarter results. Earnings per unit came in at 13 cents, which fell way short of the year-ago result at $3.24 and also missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 15 cents. The year-over-year negative comparisons were due to sharply lower commodity prices. Revenue declined approximately 31.5% to $207.9 billion. Distribution Maintained MarkWest’s quarterly distribution of 64 cents per unit ($2.56 per unit annualized), remains unchanged from the year-earlier quarter and the previous quarter distribution. The distribution was paid on November 13 to unit-holders of record on November 2, 2009. Distributable Cash Flow During the quarter, the partnership generated distributable cash flow (DCF) of $40.3 million, down from $45.4 million in the prior-year quarter, providing 0.95x distribution coverage. The negative comparison reflects the significant decrease in ...

Devon Energy Corporation (DVN) has announced plans to divest all of its Gulf of Mexico and international assets for net proceeds of about $4.5-$7.5 billion, repositioning itself as a high-growth North American onshore company. The company believes that this repositioning will result in value optimization for its shareholders.  It believes that the value of these assets is not adequately reflected in the stock price. Furthermore, the divestitures would position the company to deliver high organic growth on a sustainable basis, funded entirely by internally generated funds. With the asset sales, we expect Devon to emerge with a stronger balance sheet and flaunt one of the lowest cost structures in its peer group.  Devon expects to begin the asset sale process by first half of 2010 and to complete them by the end of the year. The company plans to use the proceeds to develop its U.S. ...

Devon Energy Corp. revealed details of its strategy to monetize all outstanding Gulf of Mexico and international assets today, Monday, Nov. 16. Following this divestiture, DVN – an Oklahoma based energy company engaged in oil and gas exploration, will channel the capital generated into its U.S. and Canada onshore infrastructure.

DVN will elaborate further on its bold new strategy to effectively trim its cost structure and sculpt its balance sheet in a conference call webcast on the DVN corporate site at 9 a.m. CST (10 EST). On the agenda for this conference call will be the 2010 outlook and capital budget, a revised analysis of DVN’s resource potential, and the repositioning of the company following its divestiture of assets.

The assets in question comprise roughly 7% of the company-wide proved reserves for year-end 2009, which is 2.8 billion barrels of oil equivalent (Boe). DVN’s portfolio of oil and natural gas

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OGE Energy Corp.’s (OGE) midstream pipeline subsidiary, Enogex LLC, sold $250 million of 10-year senior notes with a coupon rate of 6.25%. The company intends to apply the net proceeds from the sale of the new notes for general corporate purposes, including repaying – at maturity – a portion of the $289.2 million outstanding aggregate principal amount of its 8.125% senior notes, which will mature on Jan 15, 2010. Enogex will temporarily use re-financed proceeds to repay borrowings under its credit facility, with any excess proceeds being temporarily invested.   OGE Energy ended the first nine months of fiscal 2009 with $1.9 billion of long-term debt from $2.2 billion at year-end fiscal 2008. On the liquidity front, the company had approximately $2.3 million of cash and cash equivalents, besides $825.9 million of net available liquidity under its revolving credit agreements.   OGE Energy planned capital expenditures of approximately ...

On Monday, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE) launched 40 new over-the-counter (OTC) energy contracts for North American natural gas, power, natural gas liquids and global oil products. Trading of the above contracts is scheduled to begin on Dec 7, 2009.  The new cleared oil contracts include a differential calendar swap contract and a differential trade-month swap contract based on the Argus Sour Crude Index (ASCI). The two ASCI swap contracts will be available from Nov 13.  These contracts will provide a set of complementary risk-management tools to the marketplace. Including these new products, the company now offers a total of 280 cleared OTC energy contracts, including nearly 190 new OTC contracts since the launch of ICE Clear Europe in Nov 2008. The transatlantic exchange, which operates in over 50 countries, is headquartered in Atlanta , with offices in New York , London , Chicago , Winnipeg , ...

Quicksilver Resources Inc. (KWK) posted third quarter 2009 earnings of 25 cents per share, slightly above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 21 cents. However, results dropped versus last year’s earnings of 40 cents.  Total revenues in the quarter declined 13% year over year to $206.7 million, with net natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGL) and oil sales of $198.3 million (down 9%). Revenues were impacted by decline in the average realized prices for all commodities, offset by increase in production volumes. Total realized prices during the quarter declined 19% to $6.93 per thousand cubic feet of natural gas equivalent (Mcfe). The average realized oil, NGL and natural gas prices in the quarter were $60.55 per barrel, $28.15 per barrel, and $7.69 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf), respectively, down 29%, 48%, and 6% from a year ago.   Total production surged 12% averaging 28.6 billion cubic feet of ...

EOG Resources Inc. (EOG) reported third-quarter earnings of 81 cents per share, compared with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 65 cents and a year-ago profit of $2.34. Before adjusting one-time items, earnings were 2 cents per share. Despite an increase in production volumes, earnings were down from the year-earlier level due primarily to significantly lower commodity price realizations.

Total volumes during the quarter increased approximately 4% year-over-year to 195.9 billion cubic feet equivalent (Bcfe), or 2,129 million cubic feet equivalent per day (MMcfe/d), 76% of which was natural gas and 24% liquids. Natural gas volumes decreased 3% year-over-year, led by an approximately 6% decrease in the U.S. volumes to 1,128 MMcf/d, and more than 2% decrease in Canadian volumes to 219 MMcf/d.

Crude oil and condensate production during the quarter was 59.5 thousand barrels per day (MBbl/d), up nearly 23% from the year-ago level. This was primarily driven by a

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Spectra Energy Corporation (SE) reported its third quarter results of 30 cents per share, compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 28 cents and the year-earlier quarter earnings of 49 cents. Earnings came in above expectations on the back of contribution from the company’s fee-based businesses.  The U.S. Transmission segment posted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of $239 million, up more than 10% year over year. The segment benefited from business expansion projects and capitalization of previously expensed project development costs. These positives were partially offset by lower gas processing revenues as a result of lower prices and volumes. Distribution segment reported EBIT of $48 million, up 9% year over year, driven by higher storage and transportation revenues.  Western Canada Transmission & Processing segment reported EBIT of $84 million, down 25.7% from the year-earlier level. Improved revenues in the fee-based gathering and processing business were ...