Marathon and Other Energy Stocks Making Big Moves on October 12, 2012

The Nasdaq is trading down 0.2%, the S&P 500 has declined 0.4% and the Dow has fallen 0.2% on a bad morning for the market. The energy sector is the category of stocks that relate to producing or supplying energy. This sector includes companies involved in the exploration and development of oil or gas reserves, oil and gas drilling, or integrated power firms. Performance in the sector is largely driven by the supply and demand for worldwide energy. Energy producers will do very well during times of high oil and gas prices, but will earn less when the value of energy drops. Furthermore, this sector is sensitive to political events, which historically have driven changes in the price of oil.

The Energy sector (XLE) is down 1.2%, underperforming the market overall. The current biggest movers in the sector are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Walter Energy (NYSE:WLT)	$2.36 billion	-7.8%
Mcmoran (NYSE:MMR)	$1.83 billion	+6.5%
PDC Energy (Nasdaq:PDCE)	$994.6 million	-5.8%
Tesoro (NYSE:TSO)	$5.39 billion	-4%
Marathon (NYSE:MPC)	$18.49 billion	-3.4%
Flotek Industries (NYSE:FTK)	$547.6 million	+3.3%
Cameron International (NYSE:CAM)	$13.32 billion	-2.8%

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Walter Energy (NYSE:WLT) has decreased to $34.73 per share, a 7.8% fall. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 2.8 million shares.

Mcmoran (NYSE:MMR) has risen 6.5% to hit a current price of $12.07 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 2.2 million shares, 1.2 times its current three-month average.

Currently trading at $30.96 per share, PDC Energy (Nasdaq:PDCE) has fallen 5.8%. So far today, 144,614 shares of the company's stock have changed hands. At this rate, trading activity will likely be down from yesterday when 671,013 shares changed hands.

At $37.04, Tesoro (NYSE:TSO) has slipped 4%. The company's volume is currently 1.3 million shares for the day, 0.3 times its current daily average.

Marathon (NYSE:MPC) is down 3.4% to reach $52.80 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 1.7 million shares.

Flotek Industries (NYSE:FTK) has increased to a share price of $11.38, a 3.3% rise. At 430,380 shares, the company's volume so far today is in keeping with its current three-month average.

After a decline of 2.8%, Cameron International (NYSE:CAM) has hit a share price of $52.57. So far today, the company's volume is 1.1 million shares.

The Bottom Line No matter the economic climate, Wall Street will always have stocks that make major moves each week. It is important to weigh current activity against historical performance when making any investment decisions. Keep in mind that all these ratios should be compared against historical numbers and industry information in order to get a more complete picture.