oil and gas

CENOVUS ENERGY $17.33 (Toronto symbol CVE; Shares outstanding: 833.2 million; Market cap: $14.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 3.7%; www.cenovus.com) plans to spend $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion on upgrades to its oil and gas properties in 2016. That’s down about 19% from $1.8 billion to $1.9 billion in 2015. The company will spend 80% of the funds budgeted for 2016 on maintaining existing wells and refineries. It will use the remaining 20% to expand its oil sands projects. Meantime, Cenovus is doing a good job of cutting costs in response to lower oil prices. For 2016, it expects per-barrel operating costs at its Foster Creek and Christina lake oil sands projects to be 15% lower than 2014....

Vermilion Energy, $37.56, symbol VET on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 110.8 million; Market cap: $4.2 billion; www.vermilionenergy.com), produces oil and gas in Western Canada, Europe and Australia. It also holds an 18.5% interest in Ireland’s Corrib gas field....

We like juniors Birchcliff Energy and Trilogy Energy for their potential when oil recovers. But just one of these energy stocks is a buy now

ISHARES MSCI BRAZIL INDEX FUND $23.14 (New York symbol EWZ; buy or sell through brokers) is an ETF that’s designed to track the Brazilian stock market.

Its top holdings are AmBev SA (beer and beverages), 10.6%; Cia Itau Unibanco Holding (banking), 10.2%; Petrobras (oil and gas), 6.8%; Banco Brandesco SA, 6.4%; BRF SA (food), 4.3%; Cielo SA (payment processing), 3.9%; Ultrapar SA (gas distribution and petrochemicals), 3.0%; and Itausa Investimentos SA (financial services), 2.8%. The ETF was launched on July 10, 2000. It has a 0.62% expense ratio.

Sluggish exports and low resource prices continue to slow Brazil’s economic growth. State-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras is also in the midst of a huge corruption scandal. As well, president Dilma Rousseff, re-elected in late 2014, has yet to fulfill her promises of less growth-inhibiting government intervention in the economy.

...

With energy prices down, Encana has cut its dividend and sold assets, but we still view it as an energy stock with great long-term potential.

Trimac Transportation, $5.70, symbol TMA on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 28.2 million; Market cap: $155.7 million, www.trimac.com), is a trucking company that operates across Canada. Trimac has more than 500 customers and ships products like chemicals, petroleum, cement, wood and wood products, resources, food and compressed and liquefied gases. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, the company’s revenue fell 6.2%, to $95.2 million from $101.7 million a year earlier. That’s mainly because low oil and gas prices have hurt the Western Canadian economy....

BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY $3.62 (Toronto symbol BIR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-261-6401; www.birchcliffenergy.com; Shares outstanding: 152.3 million; Market cap: $542.2 million; No dividends paid) develops, produces and explores for oil and gas, mainly in the Peace River Arch area near the Alberta/B.C. border. About 87% of its output is gas. The remaining 13% is oil. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Birchcliff’s cash flow per share dropped 42.0%, to $0.29 from $0.50 a year earlier. Sharply lower oil and gas prices offset a 12.3% rise in daily production. The company continues to support its cash flow with cost cuts. As well, in response to low prices, Birchcliff cut back on exploration and development spending for 2015. It will likely spend $249 million during the full year, down 45.0% from $451 million in 2014. It hasn’t yet announced its 2016 spending plans....

TOROMONT INDUSTRIES LTD. $31.62 (Toronto symbol TIH; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (416-667- 5511; www.toromont.com; Shares outstanding: 77.9 million; Market cap: $2.4 billion; Dividend yield: 2.2%) distributes a broad range of industrial equipment, including machinery made by Caterpillar Inc. It also makes refrigeration systems through its CIMCO division. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Toromont’s sales rose 8.2%, to $505.6 million from $467.4 million a year earlier. Earnings per share 11.5%, to $0.58 from $0.52. Toromont saw stronger demand from customers in construction and agriculture than a year ago, which offset continued weak mining sales. It also cut costs. The company’s financial position is strong: it holds cash of $97.4 million, or $1.25 a share, and its $303.7 million of debt represents just 12.7% of its market cap. Toromont raised its quarterly dividend by 13.3% with the April 2015 payment, to $0.17 a share from $0.15. The stock now yields 2.2%. Toromont has raised its payout every year for 26 years....

TRILOGY ENERGY CORP. $3.35 (Toronto symbol TET; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-290-2900; www.trilogyenergy.com; Shares outstanding: 105.4 million; Market cap: $432.8 million; No dividends paid) owns oil and gas properties in central Alberta’s Kaybob and Grande Prairie areas. About 64% of Trilogy’s production is natural gas. The remaining 36% is oil. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Trilogy produced 25,090 barrels of oil equivalent a day (including gas), down 28.6% from 35,125 barrels a year earlier. However, pipeline outages cut about 2,600 barrels a day from the latest figure. Cash flow per share fell sharply, to $0.18 from $0.69, on the production drop and lower oil and gas prices....

BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY $3.62 (Toronto symbol BIR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-261-6401; www.birchcliffenergy.com; Shares outstanding: 152.3 million; Market cap: $542.2 million; No dividends paid) develops, produces and explores for oil and gas, mainly in the Peace River Arch area near the Alberta/B.C. border. About 87% of its output is gas. The remaining 13% is oil. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Birchcliff’s cash flow per share dropped 42.0%, to $0.29 from $0.50 a year earlier. Sharply lower oil and gas prices offset a 12.3% rise in daily production. The company continues to support its cash flow with cost cuts. As well, in response to low prices, Birchcliff cut back on exploration and development spending for 2015. It will likely spend $249 million during the full year, down 45.0% from $451 million in 2014. It hasn’t yet announced its 2016 spending plans....