Resolute Energy Corp. (NYSE:REN) has had a great time in the market as of late. However, today, we're seeing a reversal of the trend. Unfortunately, the stock is taking a dive. The big question now is, will this downward trend continue? Today, we'll talk about why we've seen such strong movement recently, what we're seeing from the stock today, and what we can expect to see from REN ahead.
Why REN Has Had Such A Strong Run
As mentioned above, Resolute Energy has been headed upward recently. In fact, since early July, the stock has climbed from under $3 per share to well over $21 per share. So, what's the deal with such a big gain? Well, there are three reasons that the stock has been headed upward.
- Increase Production – At the beginning of all of this REN told investors that it was increasing production. Of course, increased production means increased revenue. So, this excited investors. Soon an earnings report was released, showing massive losses. However, once again, the company reiterated increasing production, leading to further gains.
- Hopes Of An Oil Recovery – Another big part of the gains has to do with hopes that oil is going to recover in price. Oil has been in the midst of a supply glut for some time now. However, with improving economic conditions around the world, and what seems to be an increasing willingness of Saudi Arabia to work out a deal, investors are hoping that we will see support for price growth relatively soon. Because oil is the backbone of REN, this has helped to add support to the growth that we've seen.
- Investor Excitement – The market is a very interesting place. If investors believe overall that a stock is going to grow, they invest in it. This growth attracts more investors who invest more money. Soon, the trend becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy fueled by investor excitement. Based on what we've seen from Resolute Energy, investor excitement has played a massive role in the bull run!
The Trend Is Changing Directions
While REN has seen massive gains over the past couple of months, things seem to be changing in a big way today. In today's trading session, the stock is trending down. In fact, at the moment (1:23), the stock is trading at $21.78 per share after a loss of $1.07 per share or 4.68% thus far today.
Is This The End Of The Bull Run?
While I would love to say that REN has plenty of room to run from here, that's simply not the case. In fact, it's a bit shocking to me that the stock made it this high. At the moment, analysts have a price target on the stock that is just over half of what it is currently trading at. While I never blindly follow in the foot steps of analysts, there's something to such a low price target. At the end of the day, Resolute Energy is dug deep in the oil industry. With such uncertainty revolving around oil, it seems a bit crazy to think that Resolute Energy will some how dash the risk and continue to grow. All in all, we're talking about a company that has a massive amount of debt, works within a struggling industry, and is now trading far higher than it should be. All in all, I'm expecting to see declines in REN ahead.