Quicksilver Resources Inc (KWK) Downgraded by Barclays Capital (BCS) to "Equal Weight"

Equities research analysts at Barclays Capital (NYSE: BCS) downgraded shares of

Quicksilver Resources Inc (NYSE: KWK) from an "overweight" rating to an "equal

weight" rating in a research note to investors on Wednesday. The analysts currently

have a $16.00 price target on the stock.

Separately, analysts at BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Quicksilver Resources

Inc from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note to

investors on Tuesday. Also, analysts at Zacks Investment Research reiterated a

"neutral" rating on shares of Quicksilver Resources Inc in a research note to

investors on Wednesday, January 19th. They now have a $16.00 price target on the

stock.

Shares of Quicksilver Resources Inc traded down 0.76% during mid-day trading on

Thursday, hitting $13.695. Quicksilver Resources Inc has a 52 week low of $10.53 and

a 52 week high of $15.98. The stock's 50-day moving average is $14.52 and its 200-

day moving average is $14.42. The company has a market cap of $2.343 billion and a

price-to-earnings ratio of 5.64.

Quicksilver Resources Inc last announced its quarterly results on Monday, February

28th. The company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the previous quarter,

beating the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $0.15 EPS by $0.03. During the

same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.27 earnings per share. The

company's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average,

analysts predict that Quicksilver Resources Inc will post $0.04 EPS next quarter.

Quicksilver Resources Inc. (Quicksilver) is an independent energy company. The

Company is primarily engaged in exploration, development and production of

unconventional natural gas onshore in North America. Quicksilver owns producing oil

and natural gas properties in the United States, principally in Texas, Colorado,

Wyoming and Montana, and Canada in Alberta and British Columbia. As of December 31,

2009, it had total proved reserves of approximately 2.4 trillion cubic feet

equivalents (Tcfe) of natural gas. Quicksilver also has exploration activities in

North America, principally in the Horn River Basin of Northeast British Columbia and

the Green River Basin of Colorado. It also owns approximately 61% of Quicksilver Gas

Services LP (KGS), a midstream master limited partnership controlled by Quicksilver.

It owns approximately 40% of the limited partner units of BreitBurn Energy Partners

L.P. (BBEP), an oil and natural gas exploration and production master limited

partnership.

Crusaders beat Sharks in a glorious showcase for Super 15 quality

Adversity brings out the best in some people. It will take more than a decent 80 minutes of rugby to rebuild the ruins of central Christchurch but a spectacular win for the Crusaders achieved some important goals in the London sunshine. The occasion not only raised £175,000 in ticket revenue alone to help victims of last month's earthquake but will have done almost as much for the morale of those clearing up the mess.

Last but by no means least this was the day when several fond, smug northern hemisphere assumptions were systematically torn apart. Yes, the weather was glorious and conditions perfect for running rugby. Yes, there were 22 internationals on the field at kick-off. Yes, a few tackles went astray. But long before the Crusaders wing Sean Maitland scored the decisive ninth try of a pulsating match it was equally clear that those who reckon the Super 15 has nothing to teach its European counterparts inhabit the myopic land of cloudy cuckoos.

It is not to denigrate the competitiveness of the Aviva Premiership to suggest the Crusaders, particularly in the first half, played rugby the like of which the English domestic game is not familiar. A more direct comparison is with a cross-border competition like the Heineken Cup but even Leinster, Toulouse, Leicester et al would have been suitably impressed. In terms of attacking running lines it was like being transported in from a distant galaxy.

Candyfloss? Hardly. The Sharks pack averaged almost 18 stone per man. Owen Franks, the All Blacks prop, smashed everything that moved and it was a minor miracle Ryan Kankowski played on after receiving a shoulder hit from Sonny Bill Williams which would have hospitalised most players. Just as striking was the scrummaging venom of the Crusaders' forwards as they splintered an all-Springbok front-row comprising John Smit and the Du Plesis brothers. In such circumstances, the Sharks did well to stay in the contest at all. It is doubtful whether even England's Six Nations winners on home turf would have lasted the pace.

From first to last it amounted to a crusade for positivity. Williams, the king of the offload, was even more impressive at times than he looked against England in November and the entire Crusaders backline buzzed with intent. Orchestrating it all was Dan Carter, who scored 22 points before limping off with a tweaked right hamstring. If British coaches want a microcosm of what a decent 10-12 axis looks like, they should simply watch the fly-half's 21st-minute try, a gloriously slick blur of motion which saw the big Williams give the perfect one-handed scoring pass to his quicksilver team-mate.

The precision-engineered interplay between Andrew Ellis and Robbie Fruean for Israel Dagg's subsequent score was almost as good, a far cry from the own-brand bashing which passes as backline sophistication in certain English clubs. Maybe it would have been a fairer comparison in less spring-like conditions but you suspect the Crusaders would still have adapted accordingly. The Sharks, who were 34-10 down at one stage, had few doubts about the quality heading their way. "That's the best side they've had for a while," said John Plumtree, the Sharks' Kiwi head coach. "They're the benchmark of the competition. Everyone's going to have to lift their game to get up to where they are."

The same, of course, applies to New Zealand's opponents at this autumn's World Cup. British administrators will also be wearing quizzical expressions this morning. This was supposed to be the weekend the Premiership and the Magners League wrested back the baton from their Six Nations counterparts. Nor does it take a genius to imagine more Super Rugby being staged in the north, with over 35,000 tickets sold in barely a fortnight. "Today had a little bit of everything," said the Crusaders' coach Todd Blackadder. "I'd like to think it could happen again. I thought it was just superb. It was just a wee taste of what our competition is like."

Just to rub it in, Blackadder said his team would be "disappointed with a lot of that second half", having seen the Sharks mount a stout fightback on the back of two tries in three minutes by Alistair Hargreaves and Odwa Ndungane. With 28 minutes left they trailed by just nine points at 37-28, finished off only when Zac Guildford's neat pass sent Maitland in for his second try.

Any other result would have been immensely harsh on the likes of Matt Todd, the Crusaders flanker who turned 23 over the weekend. Richie McCaw is a tough act to follow but Todd is already having a good stab at it. It is New Zealand rugby's speciality to produce barely heralded players who would walk into most Six Nations sides. Nor does it matter much what country they happen to be playing in. The next stop for the Crusaders is Timaru in a fortnight's time. Trust me, this is a travelling circus worth watching. They are welcome back in Britain any time.

Australian Tourism and Quicksilver announce contest to win a trip to Australia

Tourism Australia and Quiksilver have launched a Facebook contest that will send one lucky winner to Australia to be the official blogger for the 2012 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

ETA Visa

Sharing your favourite Australian adventure could win you a two-week trip to the country.

The competition, "Surf, Sun and Social Networking in Australia", gives contestants the opportunity to upload their best adventure photo to either Facebook.com/AustraliaWorkandPlay or Quiksilver and describe in 100 words or less what they think is the best adventure Down Under.

For those who aren't familiar with Australia, they can get inspired by visiting Australia.com or Quiksilver.com.   The winner will be determined by who has the most 'likes' at the end of the contest period.

"There's nothing like an Australian adventure," said Daryl Hudson, vice president, the Americas for Tourism Australia.  "From our iconic beaches, to our world-class cities and of course our native wildlife, the winning blogger will be on the front lines of some amazing experiences."

The winner will receive a two-week trip to Australia including round-trip international economy airfare from Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, or New York to Australia; one week in Queensland attending and blogging from the 2012 Quiksilver Pro, and vacation and blogging for one week in another Australian state of their choice.

All international visitors to Australia, unless they have an Australian or New Zealand passport, must have an Australia Travel Visa. The most popular of these is the ETA Visa, as it can be quickly applied for online and once approved it is electronically added to your passport.

"The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast is the premier surf event in all of Australia and the kick-off to the world tour every year" said Eddie Anaya, Marketing Director of Quiksilver.

"It's exciting to partner with Tourism Australia to offer one of our fans a behind the scenes experience where they get to blog and rub elbows with the best surfers in the world at one of Australia's legendary surf breaks - Snapper Rocks."

Incat Crowther to design 42 m cat for Indonesia

Incat Crowther has secured a contract to design a 42 m wave piercing catamaran ferry for

Indonesian operator Quicksilver Bali.

Quicksilver runs day tours and dinner cruises out of Bali, using the Incat Crowther-designed

wavepiercer Quicksilver 6.

Under construction at PT Caputra Mitra Sejati Shipyard, the new vessel will be built to

Lloyd's Register class and carry 450 passengers in two salons and on three outdoor decks.

quicksilver500


In addition to passengers, the vessel will carry up to 50 crew and Quicksilver personnel,

many of whom work at the operator's pontoon at Nusa Penida Island. At this pontoon, the

operator offers activities including snorkeling, semi-submersible scuba, jet skiing and even

tattooing.

The vessel is configured to not only transport this small army of support staff to the

pontoon, but also to allow meetings and briefings onboard during the outbound voyage.

Incat Crowther worked in close collaboration with Quicksilver Bali to develop a vessel

optimized for the service being offered. Many features have been implemented to increase

passenger comfort, such as window washing platforms on both decks. Safety demonstrations and

live music shows performed on the main deck are relayed throughout the vessel via the

integrated AV system.

The main deck interior cabin features seats for 268 passengers, and has a large bar at the

aft end. Adjacent to the bar is a dual-entry cool room, which allows for quick loading of

supplies, and immediate access from the bar. Behind the bar and cool room are extensive

amenities. A total of 15 toilets are provided.

The mid deck cabin seats 168 passengers, with a small servery aft. The servery is linked to

the main deck bar via a dumb waiter.

The aft mid deck has 42 exterior seats. Stairs lead from this deck to a large sundeck, with

50 outdoor seats and ample standing room.

The vessel will have multiple boarding points to allow quick embarkation and disembarkation.

Large aft quarter decks are provided for transfer of passengers to the pontoon. These load

into broad stairs that link to the main deck boarding area. Large passageways and stairs are

provided to the main deck cabin and the mid deck. There are also passenger loading gates on

the mid deck.

At the aft end of the main deck is an area reserved for luggage trolleys and supplies for the

pontoon. These are loaded by a pair of davits outboard allowing loading and unloading on both

sides.

The design of the vessel pays particular attention to adequate access for maintenance of

machinery and to the fast and easy removal of engines for major overhauls.

The vessel is fully compliant with IMO HSC stability regulations, providing a level of safety

exceeding regulations for domestic use.

The vessel will be powered by four Caterpillar C32 Acert C engines, each producing 1,080 kW.

Propulsion is carried to KaMeWa 50A3 waterjets via ZF3050/D gearboxes and cardan shafts. The

vessel will have a service speed of 26 knots and a top speed of 30 knots. Extensive long-

range fuel tanks will be fitted, giving the vessel a delivery range of 800 nm.

Drill-site leak shows need for master plan for Lake Arlington

In July, a small amount of water from a Fort Worth natural gas drilling site leaked

into Lake Arlington after the shutoff valve of a frac tank was apparently left open.

Arlington, which owns and controls the lake, conducted immediate and follow-up testing

to check for metals and volatile chemicals such as benzene and chlorine but found no

contamination related to the incident, Water Utilities Director Julie Hunt said.

But the spill from Quicksilver Resources' Olcott South drill site is a perfect example

of why city officials are drafting a Lake Arlington Master Plan and other ordinances

aimed at protecting the lake, which supplies drinking water to more than 500,000

people, including Arlington residents.

The City Council is considering, for example, requiring gas-drilling sites to be at

least 600 feet from the lake.

"If an event did occur on-site, you are putting a buffer between the drinking-water

reservoir and the gas-drilling sites," Hunt said. "Giving that extra distance allows

there to be less influence if there was a spill that was not contained."

On Tuesday, Hunt presented a draft of the lake master plan to the council. The

document is meant to help protect water quality, serve as a planning tool, optimize

recreational opportunities, manage the lake ecosystem and identify the potential

impact of development.

City officials have worked with their counterparts in Fort Worth, which borders the

western shoreline, as well as with the North Central Texas Council of Governments to

facilitate communication with the 10 other cities and two counties in the lake's

watershed. Part of the plan addresses ways to reduce litter and polluted runoff from

upstream.

Several natural gas sites are along the lake, mostly on the Fort Worth side. Arlington

plans to ask Fort Worth to also consider the 600-foot setback for future drill sites,

Hunt said.

After the spill, the city did detect bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, used to make

plastics, at levels above the maximum contaminates allowed for drinking-water

standards, a staff report shows. City officials attribute the results to plastic

litter in the lake, not the drilling site spill.

Quicksilver paid all costs -- just under $10,000 -- associated with the soil and water

testing and has implemented measures to prevent future lake contamination from water

runoff, according to the staff report.

After Hunt's presentation Tuesday, Councilwoman Kathryn Wilemon praised the two

cities' cooperation on the lake plan.

Quicksilver Resources' CEO Discusses Q4 2010 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

Philip Cook - Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President

Thomas Darden - Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Board of MSR, Chief Executive

Officer of MSR and President of MSR

Glenn Darden - Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

Richard Buterbaugh - Vice President of Investor Relations & Corporate Planning

Richard Buterbaugh

Thank you, Rachel and good morning. Joining me once again today are Toby Darden,

Chairman of Quicksilver Resources; Glenn Darden, President and Chief Executive Officer;

and Phil Cook, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

This morning, the company issued a press release detailing Quicksilver's results for

the fourth quarter of 2010. If you do not have a copy of the release, you may retrieve

a copy on the company's website at www.qrinc.com under the News and Updates tab.

During today's call, the company will be making forward-looking statements which are

subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results might differ materially from those

projected in these forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning risk

factors that could cause such differences is detailed in the company's filings with the

SEC.