Strategies for surviving the oil plunge

Article Excerpt

ENERPLUS CORP. $8.69 (Toronto symbol ERF; Shares outstanding: 207.1 million; Market cap: $2.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; Dividend yield: 1.4%) produces oil and gas from properties in Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., North Dakota and Montana, as well as in the Marcellus Shale. That rock formation runs through Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia. Enerplus’s output fell by 3.0% in the three months ended March 31, 2016, to an average of 97,860 barrels of oil equivalent per day (54% gas and 46% oil), from 100,855 a year earlier. The decline came after the company sold some of its non-core properties to raise $188.0 million and pay down debt. The production drop, plus lower oil and gas prices, pushed cash flow per share down sharply, to $0.20 from $0.53. On March 31, 2016, long-term debt stood at $994.1 million, or 52.3% of market cap. That was down from $1.2 billion at the start of this year. To lower its debt to just…