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.
[text_ad]
The company is now close to selling its South African operations for $1 billion....
STANTEC INC. $33.72 (Toronto symbol STN; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (780-917-7288; www.stantec.com; Shares o/s: 113.9 million; Market cap: $3.9 billion; Divd. yield: 1.6%) sells consulting, project management, design and technology services....
DELPHI ENERGY $0.87 (Toronto symbol DEE; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-265-6171; www.delphienergy.ca; Shares outstanding: 185.5 million; Market cap: $157.7 million; No dividends paid) explores for, develops and produces oil and natural gas....
BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY $4.67 (Toronto symbol BIR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-261-6401; www.birchcliffenergy.com; Shares outstanding: 263.0 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; Dividend yield: 2.1%) explores for, develops and produces oil and gas, mainly in the Peace River Arch area of both Alberta and B.C....
For new buying, we prefer Cenovus and Teck over Encana....
In addition to their primary listing on the
Toronto exchange, the company’s shares also trade on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), symbol PGH....
The Alberta-based activist investor owns just 0.3% of the energy producer....