U.S. equities pushed higher on Monday amid quiet, drama-free trading as traders largely ignored word overnight that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government could be forced to dissolve as coalition negotiations broke down.

The big news came after the close, with CNBC reporting as I write this that the Department of Justice has blocked the AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) bid for Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TMX) on antitrust concerns.

In the end, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%, the S&P 500 wafted up 0.1%, the Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.1% and the Russell 2000 added 0.7%. Elsewhere: Treasury bonds weakened, the dollar strengthened, gold lost 1.6% and crude oil fell 0.5%.

Breadth was positive with 1.5 advancing issues for every decliner. Volume was light, at 86% of the NYSE’s 30-day average. Telecom led the way with a 1% gain, with financials just behind, rising 0.5%. Healthcare was the laggard, down 0.4%.

Continuing the flurry of semiconductor M&A activity, Cavium Inc (NASDAQ:CAVM) gained 10.8% after agreeing to be acquired by Marvell Technology Group Inc (NYSE:MRVL), which gained 6.4%. Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd (NYSE:BABA) gained 1.6% after announcing a $2.9 billion investment for a 36% stake for China’s second-largest big-box retailer.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: ConocoPhillips(COP)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

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  Three Stocks to Watch Today: COP, HD, HSBC
  ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) has seized assets from the Venezuelan-owned firm PDVSA in the Caribbean. The company won a court case that will allow it to take over assets owned by the Venezuelan government. The court enabled the seizures as part of a broader plan to allow the firm to recoup roughly $2 billion following the 2007 nationalization of its assets in Venezuela by the huge Castro-led government.
  Monday will be a quiet day on the earnings front. Investors are looking to Tuesday’s calendar, when The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) reports earnings. Tomorrow, Wall Street analysts expect that Home Depot will report earnings per share of $2.07 on top of $25.2 billion in revenue. Investors will be hoping that the company reports strong profits thanks to an improving U.S. economy and the recent tax reform law.
  Expect a lot of chatter today about blockchain technology. That’s because ING Bank and HSBC Holdings Plc.(NYSE: HSBC) announced over the weekend that they engaged in their first trade ever using blockchain technology. The two engaged in a trade on behalf of Cargill to finance a shipment of soybeans from Argentina to Malaysia.
  Today, look for earnings reports from Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A), Itron Inc.(Nasdaq: ITRI), Vipshop Holdings Ltd.(Nasdaq: VIPS), Amyris Biotechnologies Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS), Sky Solar Holdings Ltd.(Nasdaq: SKYS), Mazor Robotics Ltd.(Nasdaq: MZOR), China Lodging Group Ltd. (Nasdaq: HTHT), and Mimecast Ltd.(Nasdaq: MIME).

  FollowMoney MorningonFacebook,Twitter, andLinkedIn.

• [By John Bromels]

  If you’re looking for a compelling oil and gas industry investment, why not start at the top? The biggest U.S. oil and gas company,ExxonMobil(NYSE:XOM), had been outperforming the biggest U.S. independent oil and gas exploration and production company,ConocoPhillips(NYSE:COP), for years as the oil price downturn hurt profits.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) by 15.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 11,978 shares of the energy producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,635 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in ConocoPhillips were worth $710,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

• [By ]

  Lang looked at a daily chart of Anadarko (APC) and Conoco Phillips (COP) , noting that Anadarko has been making higher highs and lows on strong volume, with a bullish MACD momentum indicator. Conoco has made a “W” shaped bottom with a bullish Chaikin money flow, signaling institutional buying. Lang and Cramer were fans of both names.

• [By Zacks]

  Moreover, BP opened 100 retail sites in the country in 2017 and plans to open 1,400 more by 2021. The largest publicly traded oil company, ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM) opened its gas stations in Mexico in December, while one of the world's biggest independent oil producers – ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) – showed interest in Mexico, post-reform.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Halliburton Company(HAL)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By ]

  KBR (NYSE: KBR)
  Though an under-the-radar name, KBR was the construction arm of oilfield services giant Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) before being spun off. With a consolidated market cap of $2.6 billion, KBR describes itself, per its website, as a “global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies within the Government Services and Hydrocarbon sectors.”

• [By ]

  Selected examples: (AAL) , (CL) , (DRI) , (HAL) , (LUV) , (MCD) , (MMM) , (SBUX) . Darden and 3M are holdings in Jim Cramer’s Action Alerts PLUS.

  What Trade War?

  Notes Goldman: “Firms expressed optimism that trade conflict would be resolved. Commentary emphasized the support for a free trade environment. Company management did not expect the disputes would escalate and affect global economic growth.”

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Some of the stocks that may grab investor focus today are:

  Wall Street expects Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) to report quarterly earnings at $0.42 per share on revenue of $5.75 billion before the opening bell. Halliburton shares fell 0.06 percent to $51.93 in after-hours trading.
  Analysts expect Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) to post quarterly earnings at $9.33 per share on revenue of $30.31 billion after the closing bell. Alphabet shares gained 0.24 percent to $1,079.88 in after-hours trading.
  Before the markets open, Lennox International Inc. (NYSE: LII) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $1.09 per share on revenue of $815.16 million. Lennox shares dropped 2.84 percent to close at $197.08 on Friday.
  HNI Corporation (NYSE: HNI) reported retirement of its CEO Stan A. Askren and appointment of Jeffrey D. Lorenger as new CEO. HNI also reported strong earnings for its first quarter. HNI shares fell 3.17 percent to $34.20 in the after-hours trading session.
  Analysts are expecting Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) to have earned $0.35 per share on revenue of $822.15 million in the latest quarter. Hasbro will release earnings before the markets open. Hasbro shares fell 0.39 percent to $82.49 in after-hours trading.

  Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Apache Corporation(APA)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By John Bromels]

  Three companies that the market has walloped areApache Corporation(NYSE:APA),Magellan Midstream Partners(NYSE:MMP), andGeneral Motors(NYSE:GM). Here’s why these stocks look like bargains, and why today might be a good time to scoop up some shares.

• [By Chris Lange]

  Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) fourth-quarter results are scheduled for Thursday. The consensus forecast is for $0.22 in EPS on $1.55 billion in revenue. Shares were trading at $38.11. The consensus price target is $50.43. The 52-week range is $35.70 to $56.51.

• [By VantagePoint]

  Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA) has been ripping since March 2nd, when it hit a two-year low of $33.60. Since then it's up 25 percent. 

  The three-month chart below shows that this trend is likely to continue. The blue line is generated via VantagePoint's intermarket analysis, and represents a prediction of what APA's moving average will be in three days. The black line is a simple 10-day moving average. Note the bullish crossover that occurred in early March. That was a signal that the stock was entering an uptrend. 

• [By ]

  Presto, West Texas Intermediate crude rose 3% to $71.18, the highest since December 2014, boosting shares of oil companies including Occidental (OXY) , which gained 4.8%, Marathon (MRO) , up 3.8%, and Apache (APA) , which gained 2.5%. Spot gasoline also rose 2.7% to $2.17 a gallon, boding ill for the summer driving season in the U.S. and potentially eroding any gains middle-class Americans received from the Trump tax cuts.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) dropped about 7.3% Thursday to post a new 52-week low of $34.50. Shares closed at $37.20 on Wednesday and the stock’s 52-week high is $55.23. Volume was over 11 million, about three times the daily average of around 3.9 million. The company reported quarterly results this morning, but investors were not impressed.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Williams Partners L.P.(WPZ)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Williams Pipeline Partners LP (NYSE:WPZ) – US Capital Advisors decreased their Q3 2018 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Williams Pipeline Partners in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 14th. US Capital Advisors analyst B. Followill now forecasts that the pipeline company will post earnings per share of $0.39 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.41. US Capital Advisors also issued estimates for Williams Pipeline Partners’ Q4 2018 earnings at $0.45 EPS and FY2019 earnings at $1.87 EPS.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) was off to a great start in 2018 thanks to the growth of its majority-owned master limited partnership,Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ). There’s plenty more where that came from, which was clear from the comments of CEO Alan Armstrong on the accompanying quarterly conference call. While he didn’t fill in every detail about what lies ahead, he made sure investors knew that the company’s future looks bright.

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  The stock market stayed in a pretty narrow range on Thursday, climbing early in the session but then slowly drifting lower through the afternoon hours. In the absence of major news, investors largely looked forward to key events like trade negotiations among the world’s largest economies. Other financial markets saw mixed moves as well, with 10-year Treasury yields climbing above 3.1% while oil prices stayed comfortably above $70 per barrel. Despite the quiet day, some companies had good news that pushed their shares sharply higher. World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE:WWE), Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK), and Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) were among the best performers on the day. Below, we’ll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers
  Loxo Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOXO) rose 17.1 percent to $163.30 in pre-market trading as the company disclosed that LOXO-292 Phase 1 trial abstract was selected for 'Best of ASCO'.
  CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTMX) rose 11.5 percent to $27.15 in pre-market trading after the company announced presentations at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting.
  Check-Cap Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHEK) rose 12.3 percent to $5.47 in pre-market trading after reporting narrower-than-expected Q1 loss.
  Flotek Industries, Inc. (NYSE: FTK) shares rose 7.1 percent to $3.62 in the pre-market trading session.
  Baozun Inc. (NASDAQ: BZUN) shares rose 5.8 percent to $47.65 in pre-market trading after reporting Q1 results.
  World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) rose 5.5 percent to $46.00 in pre-market trading.
  Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) rose 5.3 percent to $40.50 in pre-market trading after The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB) announced agreement to acquire all public equity of Williams Partners in a $10.5 billion deal.
  Koss Corporation (NASDAQ: KOSS) shares rose 4.6 percent to $2.72 in pre-market trading after surging 12.55 percent on Wednesday.
  Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH) rose 4.5 percent to $5.85 in pre-market trading after gaining 5.66 percent on Wednesday.
  Farmer Bros. Co. (NASDAQ: FARM) rose 4.1 percent to $27 in pre-market trading after climbing 7.90 percent on Wednesday.
  Kosmos Energy Ltd. (NYSE: KOS) rose 4 percent to $7.70 in pre-market trading.

   

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Natural gas pipeline giant Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) announced today that it agreed to acquire the rest of its master limited partnership (MLP) Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) that it didn’t already own in a $10.5 billion deal. Not to be outdone, Canadian energy infrastructure giant Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) made an offer to acquire its namesake MLP Enbridge Energy Partners (NYSE:EEP), along with the rest of its publicly traded entities, including Spectra Energy Partners (NYSE:SEP). These transactions have big implications not only for investors in these entities but for those who own other pipeline companies, too.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Encana Corporation(ECA)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By ]

  Already, shale companies such as Encana (ECA) , Occidental Petroleum (OXY) and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) , among others, are reporting higher cash flows and earnings on higher oil prices. As a result, they are paying down debt, increasing dividends and engaging in buybacks. This is a dramatic improvement in shareholder yield for the group.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  Today, however, many drillers are setting a high bar for new wells. EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG) has been one of the leaders in disrupting the former way of thinking by establishing a high return hurdle rate for new wells of 30% after-tax at $40 oil. Others followed with similar return-focused approaches, including Encana (NYSE:ECA), which needs locations to achieve a 35% after-tax return at $50 oil to meet its premium hurdle rate.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Marathon Oil Corporation(MRO)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Melrose Industries (LON:MRO) had its price target upped by Numis Securities from GBX 250 ($3.39) to GBX 280 ($3.80) in a research report report published on Monday morning. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Back in 2011, Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) elected to spin off Marathon Petroleum. At the time, much of the reasoning for the split was that both entities would garner higher valuations than as an integrated company. Also, by separating them, both could best allocate capital to grow shareholder value.

• [By Matthew DiLallo]

  That ability to organically discover new shale plays has saved it a ton of money. The company was able to quietly gobble up 50,000 acres in Oklahoma over a four-year period for just $750 an acre. Contrast that with rivalsDevon Energy(NYSE:DVN) andMarathon Oil(NYSE:MRO). Devon spent $1.9 billion to buy Felix Energy in late 2015 for the company’s 80,000 acres in Oklahoma, paying a whopping $23,750 an acre. Meanwhile, Marathon paid $888 million for PayRock Energy and its 61,000 acres in the state, which amounted to roughly $14,500 an acre. EOG’sdeepknowledge of shale helps it know where to look so it can lock up land for next to nothing before rivals even know what’s there.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Magellan Midstream Partners L.P.(MMP)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By ]

  Crude prices recovered sharply from the profit-taking that we saw ahead of yesterday’s news events, and it is in the Saudis’ best interest to maintain higher market prices as long as the Saudi Aramco deal remains in the future. That said, the U.S. dollar continues to strengthen versus the greenback’s peers, and that could act as a weight upon all commodity prices if that condition were to persist.

  Trade Idea: Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP)

  You’ve heard all about the bottlenecks in domestic distribution. Now, you’ve heard Secretary Mnuchin talk about production. Still, we have to get this stuff to market. When it comes to energy, I have focused on oil services, hence my well-known long positions in both Action Alerts PLUS holding Schlumberger (SLB) , and Halliburton (HAL) .

• [By ]

  Hetty Green Would Love This Trade
  It’s in Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. (NYSE: MMP).

  Magellan Midstream Partners owns the longest refined petroleum products pipeline system in the country, with access to nearly 50% of the nation’s refining capacity and the ability to store more than 100 million barrels of petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel and crude oil.

• [By ]

  Cramer and the AAP team are looking for opportunities to trim stocks into strength based out of discipline. That means trimming Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP) . Find out what they’re telling their investment club members and get in on the conversation with a free trial subscription to Action Alerts PLUS.

• [By Tyler Crowe]

  Oil and gas investors have been through the wringer over the past few years. Even the most stable investments in this industry — pipelines, processing, and logistics — haven’t been spared. Case in point: Shares of Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE:MMP) have declined 18% over the past three years despite the company posting consistent revenue and cash flow growth. To top it off, there has been a slew of regulatory and tax changes in recent months that will have a significant impact on this particular industry.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Transocean Inc.(RIG)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Check out these big penny stock gainers and losers

  Losers
  Aceto Corporation (NASDAQ: ACET) fell 41.9 percent to $4.30 in pre-market trading. ACETO board disclosed that it is taking proactive steps to address business and financial challenges. Canaccord Genuity downgraded Aceto from Buy to Sell.
  Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. (NASDAQ: HMNY) fell 25.3 percent to $2.86 in pre-market trading after reporting an ATM offering of $150 million.
  Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (NYSE: PIR) fell 17.4 percent to $2.86 in pre-market trading after reporting a fourth quarter sales miss. Comps were down 7.5 percent in the quarter.
  Sleep Number Corporation (NASDAQ: SNBR) fell 12.4 percent to $32.00 in pre-market trading following a first quarter earnings miss.
  Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRTK) fell 10.2 percent to $11.90 in pre-market trading on news of $125 million convertible debt offering.
  Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MACK) shares fell 8 percent to $8.02 in pre-market trading after dropping 2.02 percent on Wednesday.
  Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPO) shares fell 5.6 percent to $80 in pre-market trading.
  Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LITE) shares fell 4.8 percent to $60.00 in pre-market trading after rising 1.78 percent on Wednesday.
  vTv Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: VTVT) fell 4.6 percent to $2.10 in pre-market trading after surging 84.87 percent on Wednesday.
  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE: TSM) shares fell 4.5 percent to $40.07 in pre-market trading after the company reported Q1 results.
  Align Technology, Inc.. (NASDAQ: ALGN) fell 3.5 percent to $267.40 in pre-market trading after rising 1.61 percent on Wednesday.
  Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) shares fell 3.5 percent to $12 in pre-market trading after the company issued quarterly fleet status report.
  GoPro, Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRO) fell 3.2 percent to $4.90 in pre-market trading.
  Unilever PLC (NYSE: UL) fell 2.6 percent to $54.73 in pre-market

• [By Max Byerly]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of Transocean (NYSE:RIG) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

  Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on RIG. Bank of America increased their price objective on Transocean from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 18th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Transocean from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 30th. Susquehanna Bancshares set a $11.00 price objective on Transocean and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Cowen set a $11.00 price objective on Transocean and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. Finally, Piper Jaffray set a $11.00 price objective on Transocean and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. The company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $11.79.

• [By The Ticker Tape]

  TD Ameritrade clients appeared to take some profits in multiple names during the period. Oil companies were popular sells with ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), BP  PLC (ADR) (NYSE: BP), National-Oilwell Varco Inc. (NYSE: NOV), and Transocean LTD (NYSE: RIG) all net sold. Oil prices traded near three-year highs on higher global demand and possible OPEC-led production cuts. COP and BP both traded at multi-year highs, while NOV and RIG reached 52-week highs, enticing clients to take profits in all four names. Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA) traded at levels not seen since before the financial crisis following proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, and was net sold. For the third month in a row, Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) was net sold after CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress regarding the misuse of user data and a beat on earnings.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  D.B. Root & Company LLC acquired a new position in shares of Transocean (NYSE:RIG) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 30,040 shares of the offshore drilling services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $297,000.

• [By Spencer Israel]

  Oil companies were popular sells for the month, including ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), BP p.l.c. (NYSE: BP), and Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) all net sold. Investors also net sold Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA), Starbucks Corporation (NYSE: CMG). and Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) in the midst of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's testimony before Congress. 

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Whiting Petroleum Corporation(WLL)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of DFT Energy LP’s stock buys and sells, go to www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=DFT+Energy+LP

  These are the top 5 holdings of DFT Energy LPWhiting Petroleum Corp (WLL) – 400,000 shares, 18.19% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 2.56%Hess Corp (HES) – 170,000 shares, 11.57% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 30.77%Noble Energy Inc (NBL) – 200,000 shares, 8.15% of the total portfolio. Southwestern Energy Co (SWN) – 1,360,000 shares, 7.92% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 4.62%Anadarko Petroleum Corp (APC)

• [By Max Byerly]

  Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Whiting Petroleum Co. (NYSE:WLL) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 14,439 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock, valued at approximately $489,000.

Top 10 Oil Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Range Resources Corporation(RRC)

Advisors’ Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) fell about 3.6% Monday to post a new 52-week low of $14.77 after closing at $15.30 on Friday. The 52-week high is $35.64. Volume of about 9.4 million was about 20% higher than the daily average of around 7.7 million shares traded. The company had no specific news.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  Range Resources Corp. (NYSE: RRC) fell about 4.4% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $14.43 after closing at $15.09 on Monday. The 52-week high is $34.93. Volume of about 15 million was nearly double the daily average of around 7.7 million shares traded. The company had no specific news.