Resource and commodity stocks in general should make up only a limited portion of your portfolio—say less than 20% for a conservative investor or as much as 30% for an aggressive investor. And as part of that segment, energy stocks could make up, say half of that total. The rest could be fertilizer stocks, mining stocks and so on.
Oil and gas stocks have been below-average performers lately, and many investors are tempted to get out of the industry altogether. However, the energy sector can play a crucial role in your portfolio as a hedge against inflation. The low inflation rates of the past couple of decades deserve some of the blame for the poor performance of the sector. However, energy stocks will likely rebound in years to come as the global economy recovers.
- Invest mainly in well-established companies;
- Spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; Consumer; Finance; Utilities);
- Downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight.
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IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $70 is a buy. This company (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative and Income Growth Portfolios, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 584.2 million; Market cap: $40.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.imperialoil.ca) gets about 90% of its production from oil sands operations in Alberta....
CENOVUS ENERGY INC. $26 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol CVE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $49.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend yield 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.cenovus.com) recently agreed to buy the 50% of a oil refinery in Toledo, Ohio, that it doesn’t already own....
APA CORP. $44 is a hold. The company (New York symbol APA; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 321.5 million; Market cap: $14.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 2.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.apacorp.com) produces oil and natural gas in the U.S., Egypt and the U.K.
APA now plans to return 60% of its free cash flow (regular cash flow less capital expenditures) to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks....
Cenovus plans to spend between $4.0 billion and $4.5 billion on exploration and upgrades in 2023....
We continue to see all three as high-quality buys for the Resources portion of your portfolio....