Bakken buy for CPG

Article Excerpt

CRESCENT POINT ENERGY $44.59 (Toronto symbol CPG; Shares outstanding: 395.7 million; Market cap: $17.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Div. yield: 6.2%; www.crescentpointenergy.com) continues to add to its production in southeastern Saskatchewan’s Bakken light-oil area. The Bakken, which covers parts of Montana, North Dakota and Saskatchewan, could contain more than 500 billion barrels of oil. Oil was first discovered in the Bakken region in 1951, but it has always been hard to extract from the shale rock. However, modern techniques, such as horizontal (or slant) drilling, have made it easier for companies like Crescent Point to access the oil. Crescent Point has just bought privately held CanEra Energy for $1.1 billion, including 12.9 million Crescent Point shares, cash of $192 million and the assumption of $348 million of CanEra’s debt. CanEra produces an average of 10,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day (including natural gas) and has lots of exploration and development potential. Crescent Point now plans to end 2014 with output of over…