In this article, we are going to discuss the best crude oil stocks to buy as tensions rise.

The ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran have caused significant volatility in global crude oil prices over the last few weeks. There are concerns that a potential American attack could prompt Iran to retaliate by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, which handles around a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade.

Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, and Iran all ship their oil through Hormuz, with oil tankers hauling about 16.7 million barrels a day of crude and condensate through the strait in 2025, according to Bloomberg. A potential closure of the all-important waterway could lead to major supply disruptions, pushing oil prices to skyrocket.

Kpler analyst Muyu Xu estimated in June 2025 that if Iran choked the Strait of Hormuz even for one day, it would drive oil prices to jump as high as $120 to $150 a barrel. For reference, Brent crude oil is trading at just over $70 per barrel as of the writing of this piece.

Moreover, on February 18, it was reported that the two days of peace talks in Geneva between Ukraine and Russia also ended without a breakthrough, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of stalling efforts to end the invasion.

With that said, here are the Best Crude Oil Stocks to Invest in.

Our Methodology

To collect data for this article, we observed various companies operating in the crude oil sector and shortlisted those with upside potential of over 10% according to Wall Street analysts as of February 13, 2026. Lastly, we ranked these stocks by the number of hedge funds invested in them at the end of Q3 2025, as per the Insider Monkey database. The following are the Best Oil Stocks to Buy Now.

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).

12. YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 18

Upside Potential as of February 13: 25.30% 

YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) is an energy company that engages in upstream and downstream oil and gas activities in Argentina.

On February 12, JPMorgan analyst Rodolfo Angele raised the firm’s price target on YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) from $51 to $54, while maintaining an ‘Overweight’ rating on the shares. The revised target indicates an upside of over 44% from the current levels.

On the same day, YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF) signed a joint development agreement with Italian Eni and UAE-based XRG to advance Argentina LNG, a large-scale integrated gas and liquefaction project that will help position the South American country as a long-term global LNG supplier. The project, expected to deliver 12 million tons per annum (tpa) of LNG capacity via two floating facilities, is designed to include production, processing, transportation, and LNG export infrastructure. Under the agreement, the three partners will start front-end engineering and design and perform other key technical, commercial, and financing workstreams.

Horacio Marín, President and CEO of YPF Sociedad Anónima (NYSE:YPF), commented:

“This new step marks the formal inclusion of XRG into the project we have been developing together with Eni. These two world-class players allow us to position Argentina LNG as one of the leading LNG projects globally. We will now continue working very intensively to reach FID during 2H26.”

11. Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VIST)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 21

Upside Potential as of February 13: 36.75% 

Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VIST) is a leading independent operator, with its main assets in Vaca Muerta, the largest shale oil and shale gas play under development outside North America.

Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VIST) received a boost on February 4 when BofA resumed coverage of the stock with a ‘Buy’ rating and a price target of $88, indicating an upside of over 63% from the current share price. The move comes after Vista announced the acquisition of Equinor’s onshore business in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta basin on February 2. The $1.1 billion deal includes the Norwegian energy giant’s 30% stake in the Bandurria Sur production asset and its 50% holding in Bajo del Toro.

The Bandurria Sur assets produced an average of 24,400 boed in the third quarter of 2025, while Bajo del Toro, which is still in an early development phase, reported an output of 2,100 net boed. Miguel Galuccio, CEO of Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VIST), commented:

“The blocks fit perfectly into Vista’s portfolio, adding both flowing barrels and a deep inventory of highly productive, ready-to-drill wells that will underpin our growth trajectory.”

BofA views the transaction as positive when concluded. The firm estimates a potential IRR of 24% for the proposed acquisition under its Brent crude price assumptions.