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Best Oil and Gas Stocks to Buy Now (2026)

Top oil and gas stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +32.52% per year, and are the best oil and gas stocks to buy now. Learn More.

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best oil stocks to buy right now are:

Sandridge Energy (NYSE:SD) is the #1 top oil and gas stock out of 73 with a Zen Rating of B. Stocks with a rating of B have had an average return of +19.88% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Sandridge Energy (NYSE:SD) is: Value: C, Growth: D, Momentum: B, Sentiment: B, Safety: B, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Sandridge Energy (NYSE:SD) has a Due Diligence Score of 49, which is 19 points higher than the oil and gas industry average of 30.

SD passed 18 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Sandridge Energy has seen its stock return 60.64% over the past year, overperforming other oil and gas stocks by 43 percentage points.

Ring Energy (NYSEMKT:REI) is the #2 top oil and gas stock out of 73 with a Zen Rating of C. Stocks with a rating of C have had an average return of +7.53% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Ring Energy (NYSEMKT:REI) is: Value: C, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: C, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Ring Energy (NYSEMKT:REI) has a Due Diligence Score of 11, which is -19 points lower than the oil and gas industry average of 30.

REI passed 3 out of 33 due diligence checks and has weak fundamentals. Ring Energy has seen its stock return 25.83% over the past year, overperforming other oil and gas stocks by 8 percentage points.

Riley Exploration Permian (NYSEMKT:REPX) is the #3 top oil and gas stock out of 73 with a Zen Rating of C. Stocks with a rating of C have had an average return of +7.53% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Riley Exploration Permian (NYSEMKT:REPX) is: Value: A, Growth: C, Momentum: C, Sentiment: D, Safety: C, Financials: B, and AI: C.

Riley Exploration Permian (NYSEMKT:REPX) has a Due Diligence Score of 56, which is 26 points higher than the oil and gas industry average of 30.

REPX passed 20 out of 38 due diligence checks and has strong fundamentals. Riley Exploration Permian has seen its stock return 2.33% over the past year, underperforming other oil and gas stocks by -15 percentage points.

Riley Exploration Permian has an average 1 year price target of $36.00, an upside of 22.24% from Riley Exploration Permian's current stock price of $29.45.

Riley Exploration Permian stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 1 analyst covering Riley Exploration Permian, 100% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 0% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

Out of 35 oil and gas stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 oil and gas stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

Txo Partners (NYSE:TXO) has an annual dividend yield of 15.76%, which is 11 percentage points higher than the oil and gas industry average of 4.54%.

Txo Partners's dividend payout ratio of -469.8% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Mach Natural Resources (NYSE:MNR) has an annual dividend yield of 15.21%, which is 11 percentage points higher than the oil and gas industry average of 4.54%.

Mach Natural Resources's dividend payout ratio of 234% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Vitesse Energy (NYSE:VTS) has an annual dividend yield of 11.51%, which is 7 percentage points higher than the oil and gas industry average of 4.54%.

Vitesse Energy's dividend payout ratio of 443.7% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

Oil and gas stocks were up 2.64% in the last day, and up 5.96% over the last week. Trio Petroleum was the among the top gainers in the oil & gas e&p industry, gaining 166.67% yesterday.

Shares of oil and gas companies are trading higher after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran over the weekend. Iran's decision to close the Strait of Hormuz contributes to investor concern that conflict could spread across the region as tensions escalate and disrupt supplies.

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), the 3 most undervalued oil and gas stocks right now are:

Sm Energy Co (NYSE:SM) is the most undervalued oil and gas stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Sm Energy Co has a valuation score of 43, which is 12 points higher than the oil and gas industry average of 31. It passed 3 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Sm Energy Co's stock has dropped -19.39% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the oil and gas industry by -37 percentage points.

Riley Exploration Permian (NYSEMKT:REPX) is the second most undervalued oil and gas stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Riley Exploration Permian has a valuation score of 71, which is 40 points higher than the oil and gas industry average of 31. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Riley Exploration Permian's stock has gained 2.33% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the oil and gas industry by -15 percentage points.

Gulfport Energy (NYSE:GPOR) is the third most undervalued oil and gas stock based on its Valuation Rating of B. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Gulfport Energy has a valuation score of 57, which is 26 points higher than the oil and gas industry average of 31. It passed 4 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Gulfport Energy's stock has gained 25.12% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the oil and gas industry by 8 percentage points.

52.27% of oil and gas stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect oil and gas stocks to rise by 10.35% over the next year.

0% of oil and gas stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 1.59% of oil and gas stocks are rated B (Buy), 74.6% are rated C (Hold), 15.87% are rated D (Sell), and 7.94% are rated F (Strong Sell).