Benton Oil Stock Begins Trading on NASDAQ

Benton Oil & Gas Co., a Ventura oil and gas exploration and production company, announced that its stock has begun trading on the NASDAQ system, the over-the-counter market governed by the National Assn. of Securities Dealers.

The listing allows brokers and others to call up the stock’s price over computer terminals and wire services. Previously, Benton stock was listed under NASDAQ’s Bid & Asked Quotations, which tends to list more obscurely traded stocks.

The company said the listing reflects the company’s growth since its initial public offering in March, 1989, for $2.50 a share. The stock has been trading lately at about $17 a share.