DenburyResources Inc. DNR reported strong third-quarter 2017 results, courtesy of higher oil equivalent price realizations.The upstream company’s earnings – after adjusting for one-time items – came in at 4 cents per share, comparing favorably with the Zacks Consensus Estimate of loss of a penny. The company’s earnings broke even in the last quarter.Third-quarter total revenues of $267 million increased from $254 million a year ago. The top line also beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $254 million.Operational PerformanceDuring the reported quarter, production averaged 60,328 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Boe/d), compared with 61,533 Boe/d in the prior-year quarter. Oil production averaged 58,376 barrels per day (almost 97% of the total volume), down almost 2% from the year-ago level. Natural gas production averaged 11,710 thousand cubic feet/Mcf (down 12.7%) on a daily basis. The company’s production from tertiary operations averaged 38,873 barrels per day, up 4.5% year over year.Oil price realization (including the impact of hedges) averaged $47.8 per barrel in the quarter, up 13.5% year over year. Gas prices, however, fell almost 4% year over year to $2.24 per Mcf. On an oil equivalent basis, the overall price realization was $46.69 a barrel, up 13.6% from the year-earlier level of $41.09. Lease ExpensesThe company recorded lease operating expenses of $118 million, up 11% from the year-ago quarter.FinancialsCash flow from operations was million in the reported quarter, compared with $62 million in the prior-year quarter. Oil and natural gas capital investments in the reported quarter were approximately $53.3 million, compared with the year-earlier level of $44.6 million. As of Sep 30, 2017, cash balance was $57,000 and total debt was $2,952.3 million.GuidanceDenbury has maintained its 2017 capital spending guidance at $250 million. Following Hurricane Harvey, the company expects 2017 production to match the low end of 60,000-62,000 Boe/d range.Share Price PerformanceDenbury has lost 12.4% in the July-to-September quarter of this year, underperforming the industry’s 5.1% gain. Zacks Rank & Key PicksDenbury currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked energy players are Par Pacific Holdings Inc. PARR, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation SNP and Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. NOG. Par Pacific and China Petroleum sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Northern Oil carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Headquartered in Houston, TX, Par Pacific managed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, the average earnings surprise being 195.26%.Headquartered in headquartered in Beijing, China Petroleum is a leading integrated energy player. The company will likely witness year-over-year earnings growth of 59.1% in 2017.Based in Minnetonka, MN, Northern Oil is an upstream energy player. The company’s 2017 revenues are estimated to grow 44.1%.Wall Street’s Next AmazonZacks EVP Kevin Matras believes this familiar stock has only just begun its climb to become one of the greatest investments of all time. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in pure genius.Click for details >>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 China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SNP): Free Stock Analysis Report Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. (PARR): Free Stock Analysis Report Denbury Resources Inc. (DNR): Free Stock Analysis Report Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. (NOG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.