Investing.com -- Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) (BofA) is forecasting more downside risk than upside to oil prices, with Brent likely settling around $70 per barrel.
In a Thursday note, the bank’s commodities team shared a cautious view on oil due to several factors influencing the market, including OPEC's supply dynamics and non-OPEC production growth.
“Our base case is $70/bbl (which we think is priced in), but we see more downside oil price risk than upside (OPEC spare capacity could easily cover most scenarios of barrels threatened by wider Middle East conflict),” strategists noted.
A key driver of this risk is the potential for OPEC to bring back an additional 2 million barrels per day to the market, on top of expected non-OPEC supply growth of 1.6 million barrels per day. BofA forecasts that global demand for oil is projected to grow by only 1 million barrels per day next year.
“Our call on OPEC is a very slow return of the ~2mbd – and this suggests ~6-7% of demand as OPEC spare capacity, according to energy data firm Woodmac,” the note continues.
“This ceded share has been higher in the past, but generally only in short, surprise demand downturns, not as a norm. To us, this suggests limited upside to our $70 Brent price and potential downside should OPEC regain share.”
In the current environment, BofA strategists said they prefer gas-linked stocks, particularly midstream companies. They note that while there is currently an oversupply of gas, the medium-term prospects are improving, with positive catalysts expected in 2025 as data center growth and liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand start to accelerate.
The team believes the market is underestimating the free cash flow (FCF) potential of their preferred companies, some of which could see payouts increase by 50% by 2027.
Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) remains BofA’s top Buy-rated pick, with the bank predicting FCF inflection towards more than $20 per share in the next three years.
Other Buy-rated energy names include Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI), Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB), and Chevron (NYSE:CVX), among others.