The Growing Power of Dividends

Learn everything you need to know in '7 Winning Strategies for Dividend Investors' for FREE from The Successful Investor.

The Best Canadian Dividend Stocks to Buy: REITS Canada and other Top Canadian Dividend Stocks.

 I consent to receiving information from The Successful Investor via email. I understand I can unsubscribe from these updates at any time.

Topic: Dividend Stocks

ENCANA CORP. $9.45 – Toronto symbol ECA

ENCANA CORP. $9.45 (Toronto symbol ECA; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 842.5 million; Market cap: $8.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 3.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.encana.com) continues to sell less important properties as it narrows its focus on four higher-margin projects: Montney (B.C.), Duvernay (Alberta) and Eagle Ford and Permian (Texas).

These sales cut its daily output by 21.0% in the three months ended June 30, 2015, to 388,700 barrels a day (67% gas, 33% oil and natural gas liquids) from 491,800 a year earlier. As well, the company’s realized gas prices, which include the benefit of hedging contracts, fell 13.7%, while oil prices dropped 37.0%.

As a result, Encana lost $167 million, or $0.20 a share (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). A year earlier, it earned $171 million, or $0.23. Cash flow per share dropped 75.3%, to $0.22 from $0.89, while revenue declined 47.7%, to $830 million from $1.6 billion.

Encana expects to spend $2.0 billion to $2.2 billion on new projects and upgrades in 2015, above its projected cash flow of $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion. The company plans to make up the shortfall with the $978 million it has received from asset sales. Job cuts and other cost cuts should save it an additional $375 million.

The sale proceeds and savings will also let it keep paying quarterly dividends of $0.07 a share, for a 3.8% annualized yield. In the first half of 2015, it paid out $107 million in dividends.

Encana’s long-term debt of $6.1 billion is a high 80% of its depressed market cap, but the company doesn’t have to start paying back these loans until 2019. It also holds cash of $496 million.

The stock trades at just 3.7 times Encana’s projected 2015 cash flow of $1.98 a share.

Encana is a buy.

Comments

Tell Us What YOU Think

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Please be respectful with your comments and help us keep this an area that everyone can enjoy. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Terms of Use, please click here to report it to the administrator.