Ovintiv’s narrower focus will pay off

Article Excerpt

In the past few years, Ovintiv, formerly known as Encana, has narrowed its focus to four key properties with large reserves. The company is also doing a good job cutting its operating costs. That puts it in a strong position to profit from the recent rise in oil prices and to keep rewarding investors with higher dividends and share buybacks. OVINTIV INC. $66 is a buy for the Resources portion of your portfolio. The company (Toronto symbol OVV; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 273.9 million; Market cap: $18.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ovintiv.com) operates four core properties: Montney (B.C.), Permian (Texas), Anadarko (Oklahoma) and Uinta (Utah). In addition to natural gas, these fields produce large amounts of oil and natural gas liquids. The company’s production is evenly split between oil and gas. Its oil reserves should last at least 10 years, while gas deposits should last over 20 years. Due to an acquisition, Ovintiv’s revenue rose 13.3%, from…