Swing Trading Plan
Holding Period
1-6 trading days
Expected figures are probability-weighted from our historical pattern database; Trade R:R is measured from the entry, target and stop levels.
Current Setup
Talos Energy (NYSE: TALO) demonstrates a bull flag formation with strong structural integrity (14.2/15). The stock trades at $15.33, having recovered 126.78% from its 52-week low while sitting 9.82% below its 52-week high of $16.57. Key support rests at $12.47, with resistance at $17.0. The breakout score of 13.0/13 reflects convincing upside directional momentum, though volume support at 0.89 relative volume is slightly below historical averages. The overall pattern quality scores 74.9/98 with a 73.53% win probability, indicating a high-confidence setup.
Stock Context
Talos Energy reported Q1 2026 results on May 5, delivering operational beats despite near-term headwinds. The company produced 63.8 MBo/d of oil and 88.8 MBoe/d total, at the high-end and exceeding guidance ranges. Adjusted free cash flow reached $113.2 million, supporting $135 million in share repurchases over the last four quarters, reducing share count by 7%. However, shares fell 5.6% following the earnings release amid a broader oil price selloff. Brent crude slid over 10% on hopes of a U.S.-Iran agreement potentially increasing global oil supply. Talos expects Genovesa to return Q3 2026 and the Cardona well, completed under budget ahead of schedule, commenced production early 2026.
What to Expect
A successful bull flag breakout targets $15.84 conservatively, representing ~3.3% upside from current levels. The pattern suggests volume confirmation is needed at the breakout — historical data on bull flags shows breakout attempts with relative volume below 1.0x often fail. Invalidation occurs decisively below $12.47, the key support level. With a 73.53% win probability and RSI at a neutral 52.17, the setup has room to extend without overbought conditions limiting upside potential. The pattern indicates 3-month performance of +18.65% has created a disciplined base.
Risk Factors
Bears focus on Talos being unprofitable over the last 12 months and expected to remain loss-making for at least three years. Q1 recorded a net loss of $256.2 million, driven by a $145.0 million non-cash charge on reduced property values and $173.5 million in commodity hedge losses. The stock exhibits high volatility with 27 moves exceeding 5% over the last year. Oil price sensitivity is acute — geopolitical developments like Iran peace talks triggered sharp crude selloffs impacting TALO negatively. Sector regime is bearish (-0.31 score), and while beta of -0.85 provides some downside hedge, the upcoming Genovesa restart in Q3 2026 and Daenerys appraisal well represent execution risks. Negative MACD histogram (-0.0453) suggests momentum is weakening.
How We Find and Score This Setup
We scan more than 6,000 NYSE and NASDAQ stocks every trading day and compare each detected pattern against a database of 370,000+ historical detections. Every setup is scored across three dimensions: Structure, Volume, and Breakout Readiness. Win probability is a calibrated estimate of how similar historical setups performed over the following 10 trading days. This is a swing trading tool built for multi-day holds. It is not built or tested for day trading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TALO a good swing trade?
TALO scored 75 out of 98 on our bull flag scan, with a 74% historical win probability over a 1-6 trading days hold. Good setup based on our systematic scoring.
What is the entry, target, and stop loss for this setup?
The setup's reference price is $15.33, with a conservative target of $15.84 and a stop loss at $14.49.
What would invalidate this bull flag setup?
A close below the stop loss at $14.49 would invalidate the setup and suggest the pattern has failed.
How is the win probability calculated?
Win probability is a calibrated estimate of how similar historical bull flag setups performed over the following 10 trading days, drawn from a database of 370,000+ historical pattern detections across 6,000+ NYSE and NASDAQ stocks.