3 Stocks that Benefit from Record Oil Prices

The Oil & Gas Equipment & Services industry group has been the best performing industry, gaining 67.91% in the last 250-days. And, the three stocks featured below have each produced excellent returns for investors. While these stocks remain highly rated, investors should consider adding them to their portfolios.

Everything You Need to Know in One Number

PowerRatings (for Investors) provide you with everything you need to know about a stock in just one number. Our user guide recommends that investors looking for both safety and growth should only invest in highly-rated stocks, especially those rated 9 and 10. Every day, we publish a list ofTop Rated Stocks, which is an ideal place to start your research.

The highest rated stocks are well established companies which are both safe and have the potential to increase in value. These two features have been the cornerstone of PowerRatings for Investors. From 1995-2007, 81% of stocks with PowerRatings of 10 increased in price one year later. And, 79.1% of stocks with PowerRatings of 9 increased in price one year later.

We also recommend that investors avoid stocks with low PowerRatings, especially those rated 1. Stocks with a PowerRating of 1 are highly volatile and potentially unsafe to invest in. In fact, many of these stocks are risky, relatively new companies. From 1995-2007, some of them have risen spectacularly, but the majority have dropped in price.

In fact, more than 65% of stocks with a PowerRating of 1 lost value over the following one year period. And, in spite of the strong bull market during that period of time, these "hyped up" stocks lost an average of more than 5% in value one year later. While some of these stocks did very well, on average they lost money. These stocks should be avoided by conservative, long-term investors. We also publish a list ofStocks to Avoid, and checking this list should be part of your daily routine.

3 Highly Rated Oil & Gas Equipment & Services Stocks for Your Portfolio

Baker Hughes (NYSE: - ). BHI's PowerRating (for Investors) is 8.

The company is a provider of drilling fluids, completion fluids and fluids environmental services. Drilling fluids are used in drilling process and are pumped from the surface through the drill string.

Halliburton (NYSE: - ). HAL's PowerRating (for Investors) is 8.

The company provides a variety of services, products, maintenance, engineering, and construction to energy, industrial, and governmental customers.

Schlumberger (NYSE: - ). SLB's PowerRating (for Investors) is 8.

An oilfield services company, supplying technology, project management and information solutions that optimize performance in the oil and gas industry. It consists of two business segments: Schlumberger Oilfield Services and WesternGeco.

Even though there is no guarantee of future performance, PowerRatings have historically done a superior job of identifying stocks which have risen and fallen in value over the next 12 months. Therefore, as long as the PowerRatings for these five stocks remain high (8-10), they should be in your portfolio.

For Today's Top Rated Stocks, go to