Newfield Exploration stock set to rise - Barron's

NEW YORK, July 6 (Reuters) - Newfield Exploration Co (NFX.N: Quote, Profile, Research), a oil and gas exploration company, could see the performance of its shares catch up to that of its peers because of its lower costs and its emphasis on on-shore production, Barron's said in its July 7 edition.

Newfield's shares have risen 25 percent so far this year, lagging behind the 46 percent posted by its peers, because the Houston-based company was "stigmatized" after missing production goals when its rigs were hit by the 2005 hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, the financial weekly said.

Production is expected to rise by 20 percent this year, and the company's sale of many of its offshore assets have made it "a more stable onshore play."

Citing an analyst, the financial weekly said the company has far lower exploration and development costs than its rivals, protecting it against a week economic environment. Another analyst said the stock is selling at a 34 percent discount.

On Friday, Newfield shares fell $2.93, or 4.59 percent, to close at $60.91 on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Phil Wahba, editing by Richard Chang) (phil.wahba@thomsonreuters.com; + 1 646 223 6128)