Pengrowth boosts production

Article Excerpt

PENGROWTH ENERGY $4.98 (Toronto symbol PGF; Shares outstanding: 512.6 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 9.6%; www.pengrowth.com) produced 85,748 barrels of oil equivalent a day (60% natural gas and 40% oil) in 2012. That’s up 15.9% from 73,973 barrels in 2011. The stock is down 47% in the past year. That’s because investors are concerned that low gas prices and Pengrowth’s high debt ($1.8 billion, or 69% of its market cap) will force it to cut its $0.04-a-share monthly dividend, for a 9.6% annualized yield. However, Pengrowth’s rising oil production will cut its risk. This includes its Lindbergh oil sands project, which is now under construction. Moreover, the company has $4.5 billion of tax pools that it can use to cut its tax bill until 2017. Pengrowth is still a buy. buy…