On March 3, Barry Knapp, Managing Partner at Ironsides Macroeconomics, appeared on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss the latest market trends, state of the economy, impact of the Iran conflict on energy prices, and the Fed’s rate path outlook. Addressing the market downturn in Europe and Asia, particularly in Japan and Korea, Knapp explained that these regions are major oil importers, which caused Japanese equities to be hammered due to rising oil prices. He introduced a shift in the role of the US dollar, labeling it a ‘petrocurrency.’ He explained that before the shale boom a decade ago, there was a negative correlation between the dollar and oil, acting as a check for the global economy. Now, however, the US causes the dollar and oil prices to rise together. This dual increase exacerbates the economic burden for big oil importers like Japan and Europe, as they must pay higher prices for energy that is priced in a strengthening currency.
The conversation then moves to the ‘K-shaped’ US economy. Knapp argued that the Fed’s previous strategy of easing via the balance sheet while tightening through interest rates has created a disconnect: policy is currently 50 to 75 basis points too loose for long-term fixed-rate borrowers, but at least 50 basis points too tight for small banks, small businesses, and households without assets. Knapp viewed the current spike in energy prices as a disinflationary supply shock rather than an inflationary spiral and noted that government spending growth has slowed from 11% to 2%, and money supply growth is below its long-term median. He argued that the Fed should cut rates by 50 basis points to steepen the yield curve and boost lending, given that goods consumption stalled and services growth halved in 2025.
That being said, we’re here with a list of the 10 best up and coming energy stocks to buy.
Our Methodology
We used screeners to identify energy stocks that have gone public in the last 5 years, and limited our final selection to companies that have recently reported noteworthy developments likely to impact investor sentiment. These stocks are also popular among analysts and elite hedge funds.
Note: All data was sourced on March 4.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
10 Best Up and Coming Energy Stocks to Buy
10. Infinity Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE:INR)
Infinity Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE:INR) is one of the best up and coming energy stocks to buy. On February 23, Infinity Natural Resources finalized a transformational $1.2 billion acquisition of upstream and midstream assets in the Ohio Utica Shale from Antero Resources and Antero Midstream. Supported by a $350 million strategic equity investment from Quantum Capital Group and Carnelian Energy Capital Management, Infinity Natural Resources increased its acquired interest from 51% to 60%.
The transaction was funded through the equity investment, an existing credit facility, and cash on hand without requiring additional equity issuance. The acquisition adds ~71,000 net horizontal acres across Ohio’s Guernsey, Belmont, and Harrison counties, along with over 110 undeveloped drilling locations totaling 1.6 million lateral feet. The deal includes 141 miles of gathering lines with 600 MMcf/d throughput capacity, providing immediate vertical integration and operational synergies.
This expansion brings the company’s total Ohio Utica position to 102,000 net acres and its company-wide inventory to 575 locations, with an emphasis on long-lateral development across oil, rich gas, and dry gas windows. Infinity Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE:INR) now plans to operate two rigs in 2026 to accelerate production growth and expects to achieve net leverage at or below 1.0x by year-end.
Infinity Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE:INR) acquires, explores, and develops properties to produce oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids from underground reservoirs in the US.
9. Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (NYSE:AESI)
Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (NYSE:AESI) is one of the best up and coming energy stocks to buy. On February 23, Atlas Energy Solutions reported total revenue of $1.1 billion for the full-year 2025, which was a 3.7% increase over the previous year. Despite the revenue growth, the company recorded a net loss of $50.3 million and an Adjusted EBITDA of $221.7 million, with margins compressing to 20% compared to 27% in 2024.
Operational highlights for the year included total volumes of 21.6 million tons, of which 5.9 million tons were shipped via the Dune Express system. In Q4, Atlas generated $249.4 million in revenue and a net loss of $22.2 million. While revenue declined nearly 4% sequentially from Q3, the CEO noted that performance exceeded expectations due to stronger-than-anticipated holiday volumes and record utilization of the Dune Express.
The company expanded its market share by strengthening relationships with existing customers and securing new partnerships, which are expected to scale throughout 2026. Atlas is now diversifying its business by pursuing power generation opportunities, aiming to deploy 500 MW of capacity by 2027. The company recently ordered 240 MW of equipment to provide behind-the-meter solutions for industries, including energy and data centers. For Q1 2026, Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (NYSE:AESI) expects EBITDA to remain flat compared to Q4 2025, as gains in volume and power contributions are offset by lower sand pricing and ~$6 million in losses attributed to severe January weather.
Atlas Energy Solutions Inc. (NYSE:AESI) produces proppants and provides logistics and distributed power solutions in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico. It operates through two segments: Sand & Logistics and Power.
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