Drilling plans a plus for these two

Article Excerpt

PENN WEST PETROLEUM LTD. $26.84 (Toronto symbol PWT; Shares outstanding: 453.7 million; Market cap: $12.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 4.0%) is the new name of Penn West Energy Trust after it converted to a corporation on January 1, 2011. Penn West is one of North America’s largest oil and gas producers. The company produces an average of 164,087 barrels of oil equivalent per day (weighted 60% to oil and 40% to natural gas). In the three months ended September 30, 2010, cash flow per unit fell 29.8%, to $0.59 from $0.84. That’s mostly because Penn West sold properties, and brought fewer new wells into production. Penn West has a 50/50 joint venture with Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. to develop Penn West’s shale-gas properties in B.C.’s Cordova Embayment area. The joint venture will also develop some of Penn West’s conventional-gas properties in the Wildboy area of northeastern B.C. Mitsubishi will spend $850 million to earn its 50% interest. Penn West now pays…