CHICAGO, March 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), Enerplus Corporation (NYSE:ERF), Range Resources Corporation (NYSE:RRC), EPL Oil & Gas, Inc. (NYSE:EPL) and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (Nasdaq:GMCR).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO)

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday's Analyst Blog:

XOM: U.S. Yield to Rise 45% by 2040

U.S. energy behemoth Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) expects oil and natural gas output in North America to grow by 45% over the coming three decades.

The U.S. shale formations, Canadian oil sands projects and the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) are primarily responsible for the increased yield. The easy accessibility and relatively economical production have attracted several oil majors including ExxonMobil to increase investments in North America.

North America imported 35% of its oil in 2010 and had flat production for decades. But several technological progresses have been made to tap oil and gas from shale-rock formations as well as extracting oil or gas from oil sands and deep-water prospects in North America. These efforts have changed the energy outlook for the region.

On the other hand, the U.S. energy consumption, on the whole, is likely to flatten eventually and fall by 5% during 2010 to 2040. ExxonMobil forecasts that the region would become a net energy exporter by around 2025, aided by the combination of rising output and sluggish demand. The countries in the Asia Pacific region are expected to be the main importers by 2040 as their demands escalate.

In November 2012, the monthly U.S. oil yield was more than 7 million barrels a day, for the first time in two decades. As per the International Energy Agency, the U.S. is expected to beat Saudi Arabia as a crude producer in the coming 10 years.

Further, it has been observed that growing dependence on natural gas and renewable sources of energy such as wind will decrease carbon emissions by 25% by 2040. During this time, the emissions are also expected to slide to their lowest level since the 1970s.

ExxonMobil holds a Zacks Rank #3, which is equivalent to a short-term Hold rating. However, there are other stocks in the energy sector - Enerplus Corporation (NYSE:ERF) , Range Resources Corporation (NYSE:RRC) and EPL Oil & Gas, Inc. (NYSE:EPL) - which carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and are expected to perform impressively over the next few months.

Green Mountain Trims Labor Force

The leading coffee maker Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (Nasdaq:GMCR) will shed almost 2% of its workforce by May 11, 2013 across nine North American K-Cup pack and Vue pack production locations. K-Cups and Vue-Cups are portion packs used with Keurig and Keurig Vue single-serve brewing systems to brew a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

Green Mountain will cut down on personnel in an effort to improve its manufacturing and logistic efficiency.

The owner of Keurig single-serve brewers will dismiss up to 74 full time workers in two production facilities: Castroville, California and Toronto, Ontario. Apart from this, it will also carry out some seasonal layoffs of workers that are recruited to supplement regular workers during peak periods, in its Montreal, Quebec and Toronto facilities.

Green Mountain revealed that it aims to increase the ratio of flexible to full time workforce. Outplacement services and severance for the workers retrenched from the company were also arranged by Green Mountain.

Green Mountain will take a one-time pre-tax charge during its second quarter fiscal 2013 in the range of $6.0 to $6.5 million due to the layoff process. However, the company reiterated its guidance for the second quarter, as it feels that the charge will not affect its earnings during the period.

 Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5515.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leon Zacks. As a PhD from MIT Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
http://www.zacks.com

SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.