Out Fox The $treet

 For investors that thought the 20% sequential increase in production during the fourth quarter was substantial, Rice Energy ( NYSE: RICE     ) easily surpassed that number during the first quarter of 2014. Possibly more shocking is the possibility that the company could lapse the 36% sequential growth for the first quarter during the current quarter.  Rice Energy is turning into a prolific grower in the Marcellus Shale, and the first-quarter earnings provided some interesting insights for both the company and the region. In total, the company saw production surge to 209 MMcf/d to reach growth of 135% relative to the first quarter of 2013 with well results continuing to improve.  Read the full article here .   Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please read the disclaimer page for more details.

Gulfport Energy Corp ( NASDAQ: GPOR     ) stands out in the exploration and production sector with forecasted growth for 2014 in the 250% range. The incredible part is that the stock collapsed around 20% back in May due to expectations for much higher growth. The company is a leading pure-play in the Utica Shale with several other interesting investment positions, yet it has one glaring problem, especially considering the rich valuation of over $5.5 billion. The company has favorable production growth compared to other pure-plays such as Rice Energy ( NYSE: RICE     ) in the Marcellus Shale and Diamondback Energy ( NASDAQ: FANG     ) in the Permian Basin, but it is lacking in some of the more important areas. Read the full article here . Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please read the disclaimer page for more details.

The coal sector continues to be hammered with declining prices and lower margins, causing some large miners to continuously report losses. In the case of Alpha Natural Resources ( NYSE: ANR     ) , the metallurgical-focused miner is facing lower pricing for the prime coal used to produce steel. Its most recent earnings report showed that the company generated a very shocking profit, however. At first glance, Alpha Natural suggested that the company produced first quarter 2014 revenue of $1.1 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $289 million. Considering the weaker metallurgical coal markets and that the company only made an adjusted EBITDA of $71.4 million in the prior quarter, these numbers seemed off. After quickly reviewing the details, the gains were based on an asset transaction that was clearly too good to be true. Read full article here . Disclosure: Long ANR. Pleas read this disclaimer page for more details.

The recent IPO of Rice Energy ( NYSE: RICE     ) brought investors an exploration and production firm with substantial growth in the Marcellus shale. With all of the hype recently on cloud software and biotech stocks, the company hasn't gotten the deserved attention. Rice Energy is a unique energy firm that claims to be the first of the shale generation with the youngest management team in the industry. The company has a highly concentrated acreage position in the core areas of the Marcellus and Utica. Read the full article here . Disclosure: Long ANR. Please review the disclaimer page for more details.