Cenovus Energy Inc.
CENOVUS ENERGY $25.04 (Toronto symbol CVE; Shares outstanding: 757.1 million; Market cap: $19.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 4.3%; www.cenovus.com) has cut its capital spending plans for the second time in two months due to lower oil prices.
The company now expects to spend $1.8 billion to $2.0 billion in 2015, down from $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion in its earlier plan (and down from an estimated $3.1 billion in 2014). As part of these cuts, it will suspend drilling for conventional oil in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and defer some oil sands work.
Cenovus now expects its cash flow for the year to fall by roughly half, to $1.4 billion, or $1.85 a share. That could prompt the company to cut its $1.065-a-share dividend, which yields 4.3%. Cenovus’s dividend payments total $800 million a year.
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The company now expects to spend $1.8 billion to $2.0 billion in 2015, down from $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion in its earlier plan (and down from an estimated $3.1 billion in 2014). As part of these cuts, it will suspend drilling for conventional oil in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and defer some oil sands work.
Cenovus now expects its cash flow for the year to fall by roughly half, to $1.4 billion, or $1.85 a share. That could prompt the company to cut its $1.065-a-share dividend, which yields 4.3%. Cenovus’s dividend payments total $800 million a year.
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CENOVUS ENERGY $22.92 (Toronto symbol CVE; Shares outstanding: 757.1 million; Market cap: $17.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 4.7%; www.cenovus.com) plans to spend $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion on exploration and development in 2015, down from the $3.1 billion it spent in 2014. The company has earmarked 75% of these funds for its existing refineries, oil sands and conventional oil properties. The rest will go to discretionary projects, like developing new oil sands projects and extraction technologies. Cutting capital spending is a prudent response to the recent oil price drop, which will likely reduce Cenovus’s cash flow by 18% in 2015, to between $3.5 billion and $4.0 billion....
iShares S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index ETF, $12.97, symbol XEG on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 70.3 million; Market cap: $911.8 million; ca.ishares.com), aims to mirror the performance of the S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index, which is made up of the largest-capitalization energy stocks on the Toronto exchange. The weight of any one company is capped at 25% of the index’s market capitalization. The fund’s MER is 0.60%, and it yields 1.8%. The ETF’s top 10 holdings are Suncor Energy, 21.3%; Canadian Natural Resources, 15.6%; Cenovus Energy, 7.2%; Imperial Oil, 5.1%; Crescent Point Energy, 4.9%; Encana Corp., 4.7%; Talisman Energy, 3.5%; ARC Resources, 3.3%; Husky Energy, 3.2%; and Tourmaline Oil, 2.6%. We still think most investors are better off investing in individual companies as part of a well-balanced, diversified portfolio rather than in funds that focus on narrow market sectors. As well, indexes that cap their holdings at a certain level can cut your return by reducing top performers’ contributions if they rise to make up more than the capped limit....
TIM HORTONS INC., $99.00, Toronto symbol THI, has completed its merger with U.S.-based BURGER KING WORLDWIDE INC., $35.50, New York symbol BKW.
On Monday, December 15, 2014, the combined company, called Restaurant Brands International Inc., will begin trading on the Toronto and New York exchanges under the QSR symbol.
Restaurant Brands is the world’s third-largest fast-food restaurant operator, after McDonald’s and Yum Brands, with 14,000 Burger King restaurants and 4,590 Tim Hortons outlets in 100 countries. In all, these locations have annual sales of over $23 billion U.S.
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On Monday, December 15, 2014, the combined company, called Restaurant Brands International Inc., will begin trading on the Toronto and New York exchanges under the QSR symbol.
Restaurant Brands is the world’s third-largest fast-food restaurant operator, after McDonald’s and Yum Brands, with 14,000 Burger King restaurants and 4,590 Tim Hortons outlets in 100 countries. In all, these locations have annual sales of over $23 billion U.S.
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CENOVUS ENERGY INC. $29 (Toronto symbol CVE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 757.1 million; Market cap: $22.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cenovus.comtarget=”_blank”) gets 40% of its revenue from its oil sands projects and conventional oil and gas wells in western Canada. These properties’ reserves should last 24 years.
Refining supplies the remaining 60% of Cenovus’s revenue. The company ships its oil to its 50%-owned refineries in Illinois and Texas. Phillips 66 (New York symbol PSX) owns the other 50% of these operations.
Thanks to higher production and oil prices, Cenovus’s revenue increased 62.0%, from $11.5 billion in 2009 to $18.7 billion in 2013. Even with the recent oil price decline, its revenue should rise to around $20 billion in 2014.
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Refining supplies the remaining 60% of Cenovus’s revenue. The company ships its oil to its 50%-owned refineries in Illinois and Texas. Phillips 66 (New York symbol PSX) owns the other 50% of these operations.
Thanks to higher production and oil prices, Cenovus’s revenue increased 62.0%, from $11.5 billion in 2009 to $18.7 billion in 2013. Even with the recent oil price decline, its revenue should rise to around $20 billion in 2014.
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Five years ago, the old EnCana Corp. split itself into two new firms: the new Encana, which focuses on natural gas, and Cenovus Energy, which owns oil sands properties and refineries. Lower gas prices have cut Encana’s share price by 30% since the split. Due to the recent drop in oil prices, Cenovus’s stock has gained about 9% in the last five years. Energy prices could fall further, as new production techniques, particularly hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) and horizontal drilling, add to supplies. However, a colder-thannormal winter would boost oil and gas demand for heating....
ENCANA CORP. $21.00 (Toronto symbol ECA; Shares outstanding: 741.0 million; Market cap: $15.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.4%; www.encana.com) continues to sell less important natural gas properties as it shifts toward long-lasting projects that mainly produce oil and natural gas liquids, such as butane and propane. The company recently agreed to sell most of its natural gas properties in central Alberta’s Clearwater region for $605 million (Canadian). That’s equal to 83% of its second-quarter cash flow of $656 million U.S., or $0.89 U.S. a share. The company expects to complete the sale in the first quarter of 2015. The cash will help Encana pay for Texas-based oil producer Athlon Energy (New York symbol ATHL), which it recently agreed to buy for $7.1 billion U.S., including Athlon’s $1.15 billion U.S. of debt. Encana should complete this purchase by the end of 2014....
We still think investors will profit most—and with the least risk—by buying shares of well-established, dividend-paying stocks with strong business prospects.
These are companies that have strong positions in healthy industries. They also have strong management that will make the right moves to remain competitive in a changing marketplace.
Stocks like these give investors an additional measure of safety in today’s volatile markets. And the best ones offer an attractive combination of moderate p/e’s (the ratio of a stock’s price to its per-share earnings), steady or rising dividend yields (annual dividend divided by the share price) and promising growth prospects.
Here are 20 stocks we think meet those criteria:
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These are companies that have strong positions in healthy industries. They also have strong management that will make the right moves to remain competitive in a changing marketplace.
Stocks like these give investors an additional measure of safety in today’s volatile markets. And the best ones offer an attractive combination of moderate p/e’s (the ratio of a stock’s price to its per-share earnings), steady or rising dividend yields (annual dividend divided by the share price) and promising growth prospects.
Here are 20 stocks we think meet those criteria:
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CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD., $230.28, Toronto symbol CP, earned a record $400 million in the three months ended September 30, 2014, up 20.8% from $331 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 22.9%, to $2.31 from $1.88, on fewer shares outstanding. Even so, that missed the consensus estimate of $2.39 a share. Revenue rose 8.9%, to a record $1.67 billion from $1.53 billion. CP saw strong revenue gains from shipping grain, crude oil, metals and consumer products. That offset declines in shipments of fertilizer, coal and automotive products....
CENOVUS ENERGY $29.31 (Toronto symbol CVE; Shares outstanding: 757.0 million; Market cap: $22.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 3.6%; www.cenovus.com) has opened the latest phase of its 50%-owned Foster Creek oil sands project in Alberta.
U.S.-based ConocoPhillips (New York symbol COP) owns 50% of both Cenovus’s Foster Creek and Christina Lake projects.
Foster Creek produced an average of 119,000 barrels a day in August 2014. This latest phase should add 30,000 barrels when it reaches fullcapacity in the next 12 to 18 months.
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U.S.-based ConocoPhillips (New York symbol COP) owns 50% of both Cenovus’s Foster Creek and Christina Lake projects.
Foster Creek produced an average of 119,000 barrels a day in August 2014. This latest phase should add 30,000 barrels when it reaches fullcapacity in the next 12 to 18 months.
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