Rising cash flow cuts your oil and gas risk

Article Excerpt

Oil and gas stocks have moved up as the U.S. and other economies recover. The war in Ukraine has also driven up prices. We recommend that most investors maintain exposure to the oil and gas industry as part of a balanced portfolio. But to cut risk, you should focus on producers with positive cash flow even at low energy prices. Here are two stocks that meet that requirement—and pay a dividend. ARC RESOURCES, $19.44, is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol ARX; Shares o/s: 681.2 million; Market cap: $13.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; Yield: 2.5%; www.arcresources.com) produces natural gas, in Alberta and B.C., as well as oil. Its average output of 344,447 barrels of oil equivalent per day (after its Seven Generations Energy acquisition, see below) is 62% natural gas and 38% oil. Cash flow per share in the quarter ended March 31, 2022, jumped 40.3%, to $1.08 from $0.77 from a year earlier. Output and oil and gas prices rose. Long-term debt stands at $1.6 billion, or…