Ovintiv aims to cut its debt

Article Excerpt

OVINTIV INC. $55 is a buy. The oil and gas producer (Toronto symbol OVV; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 273.7 million; Market cap: $15.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ovintiv.com) operates four core properties: Montney (B.C.), Permian (Texas), Anadarko (Oklahoma) and Uinta (Utah). In 2024, Ovintiv expects to spend between $2.1 billion and $2.5 billion on exploration and equipment upgrades (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars); that’s down from the $2.76 billion it probably spent in 2023. The decline is partly due to recent asset sales. The company is also benefiting from innovations that improve its efficiency, including its “trimulfrac” technique, which lets it drill three wells simultaneously. Lowering capital spending will give Ovintiv more room to pay down its total debt of $6.16 billion as of September 30, 2023. That’s equal to 55% of its market cap. For 2024, the company’s cash flow will probably total $14.50 U.S. a share, and the stock trades…