2011《财富》美国500强10大牛股

第2名：El Paso

    交易代码: EP

    年初至今股票涨幅: 81%

    市值: 192亿美元

    500强排名: 481

    这家总部位于德克萨斯州休斯顿的天然气公司10月份宣布，已接受规模更大、业务更多元化的能源公司Kinder Morgan210亿美元全盘收购的要约。

    El Paso的股价在2011年大部分时间都维持了稳步走高的趋势，收购消息宣布后，公司股价更是一飞冲天，并保持高位运行。(大多数突然被视为收购目标的同业股票也是如此。)

    如果收购于2012年年初完成，El Paso与Kinder Morgan的联姻将诞生美国最大的天然气管道公司。

    El Paso自然卖了个好价钱，但由于美国国内天然气需求上升，今年整体上对于天然气生产商而言也是不错的一年。

    当然也不全都是一帆风顺。环保主义者继续反对“压裂法”，这种工艺将水、沙子和化学品泵入深层地下、压断页岩，从而释放出天然气。反对者认为，这种工艺会污染饮用水和空气。

#2 El Paso

    Ticker: EP

    YTD stock performance: 81%

    Market cap: $19.2 billion

    Fortune 500 Rank: 481

    The Houston, Texas-based natural gas company announced in October that it had accepted a $21 billion buyout offer from Kinder Morgan, a larger and more diversified energy company.

    After moving up steadily for much of 2011, the company's shares shot up after the acquisition was announced and stayed there. (Shares of most of its competitors, which were suddenly deemed takeover targets, did too).

    Should it close as expected in early 2012, El Paso's merger with Kinder Morgan would create the largest natural gas pipeline in the US.

    Aside from El Paso's lucrative sales price, it's been a good year for natural gas producers overall, thanks to an uptick in demand for domestic gas.

    It's not all smooth sailing. Environmentalists continue to push against "fracking," a process that injects water, sand and chemicals deep into the ground to break up the shale and release natural gas. Opponents say the process is contaminating drinking water and polluting the air.