Estimates for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation APC have been revised upward over the past 30 days, reflecting analysts’ confidence in the stock post solid first-quarter 2018 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 and 2019 earnings have moved up 29% and 41.4% to $2.54 and $2.97, respectively.Shares of Anadarko Petroleum have gained 35.3% in the last 12 months compared with the Zacks Oil & Gas E&P Industry’s rally of 12%. The company is one of the largest independent oil and natural gas exploration and production companies. It has proved reserves of 1.44 Billion Barrels of Oil Equivalents at 2017-end. Anadarko Petroleum sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The stock carries an impressive VGM Score of A. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum with the score being a weighted combination of all three factors. Back tested results show that stocks with a favorable VGM Score of A or B coupled with a bullish Zacks Rank offer the best investment bets.Let’s focus on the factors that make Anadarko Petroleum a profitable bet.Earnings Result: Anadarko Petroleum delivered earnings of 52 cents per share in first-quarter 2018 results, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 43 cents by 20.9%.Positive Earnings Surprise History: Anadarko Petroleum has an impressive earnings surprise history. Earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the last six months, with the average being 260.5%. The consecutive estimate beats reflect the company’s operational excellence.Shifting Focus: Anadarko Petroleum is strategically shifting its focus toward the liquid-rich regions. This resulted in higher production, increased sales volume and improved margin. To maintain focus on high-return domestic assets and achieve capital efficiency, the company has been selling non-core properties since 2004.Dividend Hike & Share Buyback Strategy: Anadarko Petroleum’s board of directors have approved to raise quarterly dividend by 400% to 25 cents. Moreover, the board has authorized $500 million for share buyback. To raise the value of the investors, total repurchase program will amount to $3 billion. In the first quarter, the company utilized $1.9 billion from the program to repurchase shares.Other Stocks to ConsiderA few other top-ranked stocks from the same space are BP plc BP, Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc. BCEI and Wildhorse Resource Development Corporation WRD. All the stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.BP pulled off a positive earnings surprise of 16.42% in the last quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 EPS moved up 11% in the last 30 days.Bonanza Creek Energy had a positive earnings surprise of 50.70% in the last quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 EPS moved up 10% in the last 30 days.Wildhorse Resource pulled off a positive earnings surprise of 32.35% in the last quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 EPS moved up 12% in the last 30 days.The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of AllLast year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report BP p.l.c. (BP): Free Stock Analysis Report Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (APC): Free Stock Analysis Report Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc. (BCEI): Free Stock Analysis Report Wildhorse Resource Development Corporation (WRD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research