Unlocking value in offshore oil services stocks
Large oil producers have increasingly invested in offshore oil-production projects in recent months, driven by declining development costs and other favorable factors, according to Fidelity’s Maurice FitzMaurice.
- Fidelity Portfolio Manager Maurice FitzMaurice has recently sought to position Fidelity Advisor® Energy Fund in several companies that provide services to major oil firms launching deepwater basin production projects, believing they’re well-positioned to capitalize on improved business conditions.
- “I am optimistic about prospects for several offshore oil services providers,” explains FitzMaurice. “In 2025, several large global supermajor oil producers have sought to refresh their deepwater project pipelines.”
- In co-managing the energy-focused fund with Kristen Dougherty, FitzMaurice believes stocks can become mispriced relative to their intrinsic value for a variety of reasons, including cyclically depressed earnings or overly positive or negative sentiment. Their investment process is grounded in the conviction that long-term free-cash-flow generation is a reliable indicator of value. They focus on high-quality companies whose stocks are attractively valued relative to projected free cash flow, believing these investments have the potential to outperform.
- FitzMaurice believes oil prices could remain range-bound around $60 to $75 per barrel in the near term, barring any changes in the macroeconomic environment or significant geopolitical disruption. “This price level would support corporate profitability and the prospects for energy producers, including offshore energy services,” he says.
- The co-managers have positioned the fund (as of October 31) with overweight stakes in several companies linked to offshore oil projects, including TechnipFMC, SLB (formerly Schlumberger) and Subsea 7, explaining that more producers have recently received approval to begin offshore drilling operations.
- “Offshore production has increased, particularly since the cost of development has declined sharply over the past decade, due to technology improvement,” FitzMaurice says. “Further, expectations about when the world will reach peak oil demand have moved further into the future, giving corporate leaders license to approve investments in new, long-cycle deepwater projects.”
- TechnipFMC is an oilfield services company specializing in the manufacturing and installation of subsea equipment used in deepwater oil and gas production. FitzMaurice notes that although oil prices have declined in 2025, deepwater projects have been less affected because they are multiyear investments, and their profitability often breaks even at a very low oil price. He adds that TechnipFMC’s equipment is long-lead in nature, providing good visibility into demand.
- “With weaker oil prices year to date, onshore shale drilling activity has declined, whereas deepwater projects have remained more robust,” FitzMaurice explains. “Once a large deepwater development is underway, it’s hard to interrupt it, and most of those projects have a relatively low breakeven oil price. As a result, their economics remain favorable in most reasonable scenarios for the price of oil.”
Fidelity Advisor Energy Fund (FFNWX)
Seeks capital appreciation.
Related insights
View all
For specific fund information such as standard performance and holdings, please go to the "Funds Managed" link on this page.
Investment decisions should be based on an individual’s own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. Nothing in this content should be considered to be legal or tax advice, and you are encouraged to consult your own lawyer, accountant, or other advisor before making any financial decision. These materials are provided for informational purposes only and should not be used or construed as a recommendation of any security, sector, or investment strategy.
Fidelity does not provide legal or tax advice and the information provided herein is general in nature and should not be considered legal or tax advice. Consult with an attorney or a tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.
Past performance and dividend rates are historical and do not guarantee future results.
Investing involves risk, including risk of loss.
Diversification does not ensure a profit or guarantee against loss.
Sector funds can be more volatile because of their narrow concentration in a specific industry. Growth stocks can perform differently from other types of stocks and the market as a whole and can be more volatile than other types of stocks. Value stocks can perform differently than other types of stocks and can continue to be undervalued by the market for long periods of time. • Stock markets, especially foreign markets, are volatile and can decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments. • Foreign securities are subject to interest rate, currency exchange rate, economic, and political risks, all of which are magnified in emerging markets. • In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation, credit, and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. • Lower-quality bonds can be more volatile and have greater risk of default than higher-quality bonds. • Floating-rate loans may not be fully collateralized and therefore may decline significantly in value. • The municipal market is volatile and can be significantly affected by adverse tax, legislative, or political changes, and the financial condition of the issuers of municipal securities. • The securities of smaller, less well-known companies can be more volatile than those of larger companies. • The funds can invest in securities that may have a leveraging effect (such as derivatives and forward-settling securities) that may increase market exposure, magnify investment risks, and cause losses to be realized more quickly. • Leverage can magnify the impact of adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments on a company. In the event of bankruptcy, a company’s creditors take precedence over the company’s stockholders. Although the companies that the fund invests in may be highly leveraged, the fund itself does not use leverage as an investment strategy. Changes in real estate values or economic downturns can have a significant negative effect on issuers in the real estate industry. In the event of bankruptcy, a company’s creditors take precedence over the company’s stockholders. Third-party marks are the property of their respective owners; all other marks are the property of FMR LLC.