Now that most oil stocks have bottomed out, experts predict a change of fortune soon thanks in part to a decline in the production of oil. (Getty Images)

Oil stocks have taken it on the chin in 2015. A global oil glut, weak consumer demand, record production from the U.S., a rising dollar and weaker corporate profits have hit oil stocks hard this year. Headlines have screamed bad news for oil stocks in recent months, with the most recent being the Iran nuclear agreement, which has stirred fears of a fresh glut of oil from Tehran being introduced into the market.

But bullish analysts are speculating that a bottom might be forming in the crude oil market, which bodes well in the long term for oil company shares.

Commodities are known for boom and bust cycles. Massive global production of crude oil has led to a roughly 50 percent drop in the price of crude oil from last summer's peak. Now the low prices are causing oil companies to delay, cancel and halt production projects.

"Oil companies tend to panic, and they take too much supply off the table. We are sowing the seeds of the next gas crisis even as we speak," says Kelley Wright, managing editor at Carlsbad, California-based Investment Quality Trends, a value-oriented newsletter, and chief investment officer at IQ Trends Private Client, the firm's investment advisory arm.

"We will all wake up one day and there will be all this demand and insufficient supply, and the cycle begins again," Wright says.

Oil stocks could be poised to benefit from a rebound in crude oil. "We believe the majority of oil stocks have hit bottom or are in the process of retesting their lows of the past six months," says Catherine Hetrick, senior analyst at InvesTech Research, a newsletter and advisory service company based in Whitefish, Montana.

The improving outlook ahead for oil stocks comes down to simple supply and demand. The worldwide glut in oil production currently exceeds demand by about 2 million barrels day, Hetrick says. But that ratio is expected to change.

"With most of the major domestic energy companies slashing their 2015 exploration budgets, we expect production to decline over the coming year. Barring an unexpected downturn in the global economy, current data indicates that the supply/demand gap should start to close, leading to firming oil prices," Hetrick says.

"We think U.S. production will start to decline in July or August," says Brad Handler, equity analyst at Jefferies, a New York-based investment bank. "We do expect production to peak right around now because of the decline in drilling activity. We are drilling a lot less now than we were even six months ago."

The demand side of the equation is also expected to grow. Jefferies forecasts crude oil demand to increase by 1.3 million barrels per day in 2015 and to rise by 1.1 million barrels per day in 2016.

What could this mean for the price of oil? Nearby West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures are trading around $51 per barrel, down from $112 per barrel last August. Looking ahead, Jefferies forecasts a rise to $62.25 per barrel in 2016 and $72.25 per barrel in 2017. But others are even more optimistic on the price of crude oil this year. Energy entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens recently reiterated his call for crude oil to climb to $70 per barrel by the end of the year amid a pickup in demand and a decrease in U.S. production.

The current level of oil stocks may offer investors an opportunity. Not only has the hefty pullback in crude oil prices led to bargain-basement buying opportunities in oil stocks, but the energy sector is a proven leader during the end of bull market cycles in equities. The current uptrend cycle in the Standard & Poor's 500 began in March 2009 and is now in its sixth year.

"Historically, energy stocks have been one of the best sectors to hold in late-stage bull markets. Since 1972, the energy sector has logged the best average performance among the 10 S&P sectors in the final year of a bull market, consistently seeing double-digit gains and beating the S&P 500 index in five out of six cases," Hetrick says.

For investors looking for income, the drop in oil stock shares has seen dividend yields climb to attractive levels. Chevron Corp. (ticker: CVX) is trading at a steep discount to last summer's high at $133. The stock currently trades at $93 with a dividend yield at 4.6 percent. Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) is also down significantly from last summer's high of $103 per share and is trading at $82 with a dividend yield at 3.6 percent.

"Both Chevron and Exxon are at or slightly above areas of a historic high yield. Investors are getting the opportunity to buy world-class assets at an extraordinarily high dividend yield. I think you will be very well-rewarded down the road if you pick up energy assets now," Wright says.

Other oil stocks. ConocoPhillips (COP) is one of the largest energy exploration and production firms in the U.S. and is a recommended stock from InvesTech now. "With significant global reserves and a focus on holdings in the Eagle Ford, Bakken and Permian plays, COP expects to grow production by 3 percent to 5 percent annually. The firm has a sound balance sheet and is committed to maintaining its dividend," Hetrick says. The stock trades at near $56 per share with a 5.3 percent dividend yield.

Jefferies has upgraded two stocks in the oil services and equipment sector – Weatherford International (WFT) and Superior Energy Services (SPN) – from a "hold" to a "buy." "We prefer stocks that provide services as part of the drilling process as opposed to companies that own the rigs," Handler says.

Weatherford and Superior both provide equipment and services used in drilling for oil domestically and internationally. Weatherford stock trades near $11 per share, while Superior is about $18.65.

Another oil stock for investors to consider is Occidental Petroleum (OXY). New York-based financial information provider S&P Capital IQ has a "buy" recommendation for OXY with a 12-month target at $89, versus its current price of $71 per share. Occidental is an international oil and gas company. "It has one of the lowest debt ratios on the industry. If people need to slow down and drill less, they are in a better position to handle that because they don't owe as much," says Stewart Glickman, group head for energy at S&P Capital IQ.