No. 3 Southwestern Energy

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No. 3 Southwestern Energy

Oil & Gas
SWN
Value of investment: $57,392.53*

5-year return: 473.9%
2009 revenues: $2.1 billion
2009 net income: (-$35.7 million)

This domestic natural gas exploration and production company scored big five years ago when it discovered a rich field in Arkansas that today generates 2 percent of the yearly gas production in the U.S. Southwestern recorded a net loss in 2009 due to a writeoff that reflected last year’s natural gas price plunge. Although the company posted a profit in the first quarter, CEO Steve Mueller recently reduced his 2010 earnings forecast because of weather-related operational delays and continued soft pricing. Long-term, Mueller is upbeat: “As we move away from a hydrocarbon economy, gas is by far the cleanest way to bridge that gap.”

*For all slides as of 3/31/10