Gabriel Weinberg - CEO of DuckDuckGo

Barry Davis is the CEO of EnLink Midstream, LLC (NYSE: ENLC), an integrated midstream company serving the oil and gas industry. ENLC operates gathering, processing, compression, transportation, and fractionation assets. Tune in to hear Barry describe ENLC’s operations and to hear him talk about current investor sentiment in the oil and gas space, the benefits of the c-corp structure for midstream, and his thoughts around the distribution.

Duke Austin is the CEO & COO of Quanta Services (PWR). Quanta provides E&C contracting services and comprehensive infrastructure solutions for electric and gas utilities, oil and gas companies, and the communications industry. Tune in to hear Duke describe his business, the outlook for US energy infrastructure and 5G build-out, and the financial goals Quanta is targeting.

Kris Kelley is the founder and managing partner of Legacy Ridge Capital Management, a private investment firm that Kris started in 2018, shortly after he left Janus Henderson Investors. Kris has some strong views when it comes to the money management industry, views I personally agree with and ones I think every investor should hear. Kris is a value-focused, contrarian investor who believes the best way for active managers to serve their investors is through highly concentrated portfolios.

Now, if you were to ask a hundred value investors who had the greatest impact on their investment philosophy and principles, I’m sure you’d hear a lot of the same names – Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Ben Graham, Seth Klarman, and Stanley Drukenmiller. These investors have most certainly had an impact on me, but Kris has hands-down had the greatest impact on my investing philosophy….and that’s because Kris was my mentor during my six years at Janus. He’s one of, if not the greatest investors I know personally, he lives and breaths value-investing, and the perspectives he shares in this interview should open everyone’s eyes to a flawed industry.

Meg Gentle is the CEO of Tellurian Inc (ticker symbol TELL), a company that is developing a massive LNG export terminal in Louisiana called Driftwood. Meg joins The Stock Podcast to talk about Tellerian Inc.’s asset portfolio, US energy exports, and the LNG industry. If you don’t know what LNG is, you really need to listen to this interview with Meg. LNG is one of the fastest growing exports in the US. Why? Because the cost to produce natural gas in the US keeps falling, and with growing domestic supply, this commodity needs a home. And it’s companies like Tellurian that make it possible to send the natural gas to international markets. At the time this interview was recorded, Tellurian Inc. had a market cap of $1.9B, nearly $60M of debt, and a little more than $130M in cash, bringing the total enterprise value to just shy of $1.8B.

To summarize some of the key points, Tellurian is developing the Driftwood LNG export terminal. But what’s really interesting about Tellurian compared to other LNG companies is that they’re building an integrated system. That means Tellurian won’t just liquify the natural gas, but they’ll own a piece of the production, transportation, and liquefaction.

And by building an integrated LNG business, that essentially gives the Tellurian full control of its future. To put things in context as to why LNG exports are such a big deal, consider that about a decade ago, the US was importing LNG. But something interesting was happening in the oil patch during the early 2000s. Some small, intrepid energy companies were developing a new way to extract oil and gas from something called shale. As the frackers perfected this new method of oil and gas extraction, production costs came down and supply started to grow very rapidly. With the growth in domestic supply, natural gas prices declined precipitously. While it may not make gas producers super happy, the price of natural gas in the US has declined to the extent that the country will soon become one of the largest LNG exporters in the world. For producers, at least there’s a volume story!

NRG Energy’s CFO Kirk Andrews rejoins The Stock Podcast to provide a business update. Tune in to hear Kirk describe NRG’s path to investment grade and what that could mean for the equity value of the company.

NRG is an integrated power producer. The company owns generation assets that primarily sell power at wholesale prices. NRG also operates a large portfolio of retail electricity companies. The integrated nature of NRG’s asset portfolio provides investors with stable cashflows. When power prices are high, the generation business benefits. When power prices are low, the retail business benefits. It’s an impressive mousetrap with high barriers to entry.  

Charles and Colvard’s CEO , Suzanne Miglucci, joins The Stock Podcast to discuss moissanite gemstones, e-commerce, digital marketing, direct-to-consumer (DTC) selling and her vision for the company. Charles & Colvard (Nasdaq: CTHR) is the original and leading source of moissanite, the world’s most brilliant gemstone. CTHR manufactures, markets, and distributes moissanite gemstones as well as jewelry that incorporates the gemstones.

A super educational interview with renowned Syria and Middle East expert, Professor Joshua Landis, the University of Oklahoma’s Director of Middle East Studies. Tune in to The Stock Podcast to hear Dr. Landis discuss the Trump Administration’s decision to renew sanctions against Iran, the Syrian Civil War, and the Kurdish problem in the Middle East. And, most relevant to some listeners, listen to Dr. Landis discuss the geopolitics of oil. A great podcast for anyone who would like to learn more about what’s going on in the Middle East, and some of the implications for energy markets and the geopolitics of energy. Check out Josh’s blog, Syria Comment, to learn more about what’s going on in the region.

Professor Joshua Landis is one of the most well-respected and knowledgeable Middle East experts around. Cumulatively, he’s spent years in the Middle East, in Syria and Lebanon in particular. Dr. Landis’ blog, Syria Comment, is one of the most widely read blogs on the Syrian Civil War and the Middle East as a whole. Full disclosure, Dr. Landis was a former professor of mine, so it’s a particular pleasure to have him on the program to talk about some of the most interesting developments in the Middle East, and how those developments are affecting the geopolitics of oil.

Vistra Energy’s CEO rejoins The Stock Podcast to provide an update on the VST stock thesis. It’s always a pleasure to have Curt on the program to talk about his company and provide updates on the investment story. VST is one of my personal favorite investment ideas and Curt does a fantastic job of highlighting the key elements of the investment thesis. If you’d like to tune in to the first interview with Curt, click here!

The CEO and co-founder of Sandstorm Gold Royalties (SAND), Nolan Watson, joins The Stock Podcast to talk about his company and a truly compelling investment story. Sandstorm Gold is a precious metals royalty company. Sandstorm helps finance mining operations in exchange for a royalty interest in the precious metals that a mining company produces. It’s a really interesting business model, and Nolan does a phenomenal job describing a company that screens as quite undervalued.

The interview really is truly fantastic, in my opinion. One of the reasons I like it so much is because Nolan has a deep understanding of how the investing landscape has changed, and he does a great job describing those changes. With the growth in passive investing, mining companies have been starved of capital. The end result is that it’s become very challenging for mining companies to grow. However, situations like these present opportunities and Sandstorm and Nolan are capitalizing and profiting from these opportunities.

Lynn Mueller is the Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Sharc Energy Systems (SHRC / INTWF). Sharc Energy has a patented system of recovering thermal energy from wastewater. Tune in to The Stock Podcast to hear Lynn describe one of the most interesting heat recovery and energy recycling systems around today. It’s a truly fascinating interview about a company and a technology that could alter the course of natural gas demand going forward.

Steve Newby is the Founder and CEO of Summit Midstream Partners (SMLP). Tune in to hear Steve discuss Summit’s operations, his view on industry fundamentals, and what Steve and his team are doing to grow the business and improve cash flow stability. It’s a great interview that highlights the disconnect between a positive outlook and a seemingly mispriced security!