Wall Street believes many oil stocks will emerge from their funk this year, according to a report from Birinyi Associates.
The firm compiled analyst recommendations and 12-month price targets for stocks. Seven of the 10 most bullish analyst picks have a hand in the struggling oil and gas sector, based on price targets compared to the stock's January close.
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Sluggish past performance, of course, leave room for upside. For instance, shares in top pick Freeport-McMoRan have dropped about 40 percent in the last year amid free falling U.S. crude oil prices.
Top 10 names by price target
| Ticker | Name | ANR | 1/31/2014 | Target | % Change |
| FCX | Freeport-McMoRan | 4.19 | $23.36 | $36.12 | 54.62 |
| NBR | Nabors Industries | 4.17 | $12.98 | $19.58 | 50.84 |
| RRC | Range Resources | 4.2 | $53.45 | $79.94 | 49.56 |
| EQT | EQT Corporation | 4.48 | $75.70 | $112.18 | 48.19 |
| GME | GameStop | 4.13 | $33.80 | $49.31 | 45.89 |
| GNW | Genworth Financial | 3.83 | $8.50 | $12.31 | 44.85 |
| QEP | QEP Resources | 4.08 | $20.22 | $28.22 | 39.58 |
| SWN | Southwestern Energy | 3.55 | $27.29 | $38.06 | 39.48 |
| NBL | Noble Energy | 4.12 | $47.43 | $65.71 | 38.54 |
| WYNN | Wynn Resorts | 4.04 | $148.76 | $205.53 | 38.16 |
Source: Birinyi Associates
Analysts believe Staples will take a hit. They predicted that shares in the office supplier would drop off more in 12 months than any other S&P 500 stock.
Despite their optimism for some energy names, analysts felt others, including Diamond Offshore and Wisconsin Energy, would continue to struggle this year.
Bottom 10 names by price target
| Ticker | Name | ANR | 1/31/2014 | Target | % Change |
| SPLS | Staples | 3 | $18.12 | $14.37 | -20.67 |
| DO | Diamond Offshore | 2.09 | $36.71 | $30.28 | -17.51 |
| AN | Autonation | 3.38 | $60.41 | $53.86 | -10.85 |
| WFM | Whole Foods Market | 3.42 | $50.42 | $45.10 | -10.55 |
| CVC | Cablevision Systems | 3.23 | $20.64 | $18.67 | -9.56 |
| CLX | Clorox | 2.5 | $104.21 | $94.61 | -9.21 |
| WEC | Wisconsin Energy | 2.67 | $52.74 | $47.95 | -9.08 |
| GPC | Genuine Parts | 3.25 | $106.57 | $97.25 | -8.75 |
| SIAL | Sigma-Aldrich | 3.15 | $137.27 | $125.42 | -8.63 |
| PNW | Pinnacle West | 3.44 | $68.31 | $62.50 | -8.51 |
Source: Birinyi Associates
While they provide a good summary of Wall Street sentiment, price targets rarely predict stocks' actual performance, said Robert Sicari, an analyst at Birinyi Associates. When the firm compiled similar projections last year, there was "a major disconnect" between predictions and prices, he said.
"I don't think there's any connection between the two," Sicari said.
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Sicari noted that outlook on construction and maintenance company Quanta Services surprised him most. It garnered the highest average recommendation of any S&P 500 stock.