Power Stock Rankings: Energy

6. Nordic American Tanker(NAT Quote): Oil tanker stocks are on fire, too. NAT is one of the players in this sector that boasts a juicy dividend of 8.4%. It is a great time to be a tanker company because spot rates for their vessels are rising and many single hulled tankers (46 vessels by 2010) will be coming off the market (environmental and safety concerns). NAT owns a fleet of 12 Suezmax double-hull tankers (with two more under construction). The stock had a big run recently, so I would wait for a pullback. An entry in the mid-$30s looks appealing. -- BUY

7. El Paso(EP Quote): That's some nice recent performance in EP, and I would stay with this cheap and under-the-radar energy play. With EP, you own the largest natural gas pipeline in the U.S. and a company that is growing its exploration and production of natural gas. And for confirmation of the upside potential, CEO Foshee recently bought 50,000 shares of the stock in the open market. -- BUY

8.National Oilwell Varco(NOV Quote): The days of easy and cheap oil are gone. Now oil exploration and production comes from off-shore locations and hard-to-reach deposits. To access these areas, the products and services of companies like NOV and Transocean(RIG Quote) are needed. They will be the big winners of the new off-shore exploration world. NOV is the fourth-largest offshore oil drilling company in an industry with huge barriers to entry (sophisticated and capital-intensive equipment). NOV is a great way to play this brave new world of high oil prices. -- BUY

9. Foster Wheeler(FWLT Quote): Last week, this engineering and infrastructure company posted solid earnings confirming the global boom in construction. FWLT reported EPS of 85 cents a share (vs. 80 cents last year), which was 12 cents ahead of consensus. Management did note some North American weakness, which is not surprising, but I think the overall investment thesis is intact and running strong. -- BUY

10. Potash(POT Quote): Did you take the plunge and buy some POT during the recent swoon in the Ag stocks? POT traded as low as $175 and quickly snapped back to the $200 level. Yes, the down move in the Ag complex looked scary, but nobody ever said making money was easy, right? Just remember the next time the Ag stocks sell off that the Ag cycle is far from over. The rising famine problem and growing wealth of BRIC countries will keep the demand for food at elevated levels for the foreseeable future. -- BUY