Many investors often look to the larger oil and gas developers for a safe investment, and in a certain sense these types of companies are perhaps one of your more safe investments. Energy after all is always a need. There are, however, companies on the verge that may make better investments as they move forward with production and development plans. While some may look left at these more main-stream players, looking right for those companies that may be in the right place at the right time may be a bit more profitable. Care needs to be taken and research done, but if one picks wisely, profit will be there.

American Oil & Gas Inc., an oil and gas exploration company, works to explore and develop crude oil and natural gas deposits primarily in Colorado and Wyoming. The company holds natural gas interests through its American Tower Inc. subsidiary but is generally

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  Last Thursday, we received a mildly bearish report from the federal government’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), showing a higher-than-expected rise in natural gas supplies. Stockpiles held in underground storage in the lower 48 states rose by 58 billion cubic feet (Bcf) for the week ended October 9. This takes the current storage level to a new all-time high of 3.72 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), which is up 13.8% from last year's level and 14.6% above the five-year range (as clear from the nearby chart from the EIA). Current stocks are 450 Bcf above last year’s level and 474 Bcf above the five-year average. The inventory addition was lower than the five-year-average injection of 64 Bcf and last year's build of 81 Bcf. The relentless increase in gas storage levels has meant that with three weeks remaining in the storage injection season, stockpiles ...

El Paso Corporation (EP) reported an adjusted EPS of 25 cents for the second quarter of 2009, slightly above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 21 cents, but below 39 cents posted in the same quarter a year ago. Encouraging performance in the Pipeline segment, which clocked an 11% earnings growth, was more than offset by lower realized commodity prices. GAAP net income, which includes the impact of production-related derivatives, ceiling test charges and other items, declined to $79 million or 11 cents per share from $191 million or 25 cents per share. Revenues dropped 16% to $973 million, and operating income fell 18% to $408 million. Operating income in the Pipeline segment grew 11% to $327 million, driven primarily by incremental revenues from several expansion projects that went into service during 2008. Higher reservation revenues on the El Paso Natural Gas system, fresh contracts on Rocky ...

Berry Petroleum Company (...

AmeriWest Energy Corp. (OTCBB: AWEC) was recently given a speculative strong buy rating from the research firm Bridge IR Group in their most recent research report. Contained in the report is an informed analysis that also projects a 12-month target price of $1.75. That value is a 450% return to investors at today’s market price of around $0.40. Ameriwest Energy already produces close to 35 barrels of oil per day (nearly $120,000 in monthly revenue) and has more wells coming online shortly.

Ameriwest is a growing, revenue-positive energy company producing underdeveloped oil resources in the prolific Rocky Mountain region of the United States. The company operates by utilizing their strategic combination of low-risk tertiary recovery projects and extensively mapped exploration plays that show significant upside potential. All projects incorporate considerable historical data and are in close proximity to excellent support infrastructure. Ameriwest has

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Pioneer Drilling is taking advantage of the push to "drill, drill, drill" as revenues spiked 48% in the second quarter. The company has surprised on estimates 2 out of the last 4 quarters. Pioneer Drilling is cheap, trading at only 7x projected earnings.

Company Description

Pioneer Drilling Company (PDC) provides two services to companies in the energy sector: contract drilling and workover rig, wireline and fishing and rental services.

The company, a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy), engages in Contract Drilling Services for both the major oil companies and the independent operators in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, the Rocky Mountain Region and in Central America, in Colombia.

The Production Services Division, which supplies energy producers along the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions, has a fleet of 69 land drilling rigs that drill in depth ranges between 6,000 and 18,000 feet, 66 workover rigs, 51 wireline units

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American Oil & Gas Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Commencing operations in January of 2003, the company lists on the American Stock Exchange. They engage in the exploration, development, and production of hydrocarbon reserves, mainly in the Rocky Mountain region.

American currently owns interests in three core project areas: Douglas-Fetter, Goliath, and Krejci. Drilling is underway in all three of these areas, which represent company-acquired interests in more than 500,000 gross acres. These three projects are in areas where there is historical evidence of the existence of hydrocarbons.

The company’s Douglas acreage Fetter Prospect is in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. The company is currently focusing on drilling three to eight additional wells in this area before 2008 ends. These wells will be within six miles of a natural gas processing plant, which means they will be wells that generate revenues quickly.

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Eldorado Artesian Springs, Inc. (OTCBB: ELDO) has retained Organic Food Brokers to expand the company’s distribution throughout the Rocky Mountain region and to the West Coast. The company will represent Eldorado Artesian Springs to the natural, conventional and mass retail markets, including its new Organic Vitamin Charged Spring Water.

The move adds the use of four distribution centers on the West Coast, which service 8,000 retail outlets. As its name suggests, Organic Food Brokers specialize in the organic and natural foods segment and products it represents generate more than $1.5 billion in sales.

“Our decision to expand distribution outside of our traditional markets is based on growing sales momentum, highlighted by our first $1.0 million month in July and by steadily growing demand for our new organic products,” said ELDO President and CEO Doug Larson. “Organic Food Brokers is a premier name in the organic segment and is well positioned to

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The Rocky Mountain region of the United States has an estimated 34 million barrels of original oil. After this oil is recovered by traditional means, approximately 23 billion barrels of oil will be left behind. Ameriwest Energy Corp. (OTCBB: AWEC) has positioned itself to capitalize on this oil, focusing on the production of underdeveloped oil resources in the Rocky Mountain to find a balance between low-risk recovery projects and exploration plays with significant upside potential.

The company today announced its formal intention to exercise its right to purchase oil and gas mineral leases adjoining its recent Geary Prospect acquisition. While Muddy Mineral Exploration, LLC was the highest bidder in the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management auction, the company extended an offer of first right of refusal to Ameriwest on an 80 percent Net Revenue Interest.

The purchase in mention is for a 10-year Federal

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