Rising cash flow brightens their prospects

Article Excerpt

CIMAREX ENERGY $66.72 (New York symbol XEC; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (303-295-3995; www.cimarex.com; Shares outstanding: 86.1 million; Market cap: $5.5 billion; Dividend yield: 0.6%) produces and explores for oil and natural gas. Gas makes up 55% of its output. Cimarex’s properties are in the Mid-Continent region of the U.S., which includes Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas; the Permian Basin of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico; and the Texas Gulf Coast. In the three months ended June 30, 2011, Cimarex’s production averaged a record 585.7 million cubic feet of natural gas equivalent per day (including oil). That’s down 1.5% from a year earlier. The company did not offset natural declines at its Gulf Coast wells with new production. Even with the lower production, higher oil and gas prices helped push up Cimarex’s cash flow per share by 30.3%, to $4.00 from $3.07. Cimarex trades at just 4.3 times its forecast 2011 cash flow of $15.57 a share. The company’s long-term debt of $350.0 million is…