Takeover talk highlights value

Article Excerpt

Encana, a long-time favourite of ours, was a pioneer in the development of unconventional gas reserves (also called “tight gas”). This is natural gas that is trapped in rock formations. However, as the technology to extract tight gas improved, gas production ballooned. This rise in gas production, along with warmer-than-normal winter weather, pushed down gas prices. This in turn depressed Encana’s earnings and stock price. We feel Encana’s large gas reserves offer a lot of long-term value. It seems ExxonMobil Corp. (New York symbol XOM), the world’s largest oil company, agrees. It’s buying Celtic Explorations Ltd. (Toronto symbol CLT), which owns tight gas reserves along the B.C.-Alberta border, near Encana’s properties. That spurred speculation that Encana may also become a takeover target. ENCANA CORP. $22 (Toronto symbol ECA; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 736.3 million; Market cap: $16.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 3.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.encana.com) is one of North America’s largest natural gas producers. The U.S….