Their strong balance sheets are a major plus

Article Excerpt

ARC RESOURCES $6.04 (Toronto symbol ARX; Shares outstanding: 352.1 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; Dividend yield: 9.9%; www.arcresources.com) produces oil and natural gas in Western Canada. Its average output of 139,054 barrels of oil equivalent per day is 74% natural gas and 26% oil. In the quarter ended June 30, 2019, cash flow per share fell 6.9%, to $0.54 from $0.58 a year earlier. ARC’s output rose 5.5%. However, lower oil and gas prices offset the higher production. The company’s long-term debt stands at $748.2 million, or a manageable 34% of its market cap. ARC also holds cash of $50.7 million. The strong balance sheet—at a time when most producers are struggling with high debt—results from the December 2016 sale of all of the company’s properties in southeastern Saskatchewan for $700 million. ARC expects to spend $775 million on exploration and development for all of 2019. That’s down from its original plan to spend $700 million. The company aims to…