Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat: Can I have your opinion on the outlook for Whitecap Resources? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

A: Whitecap Resources, $10.05, symbol WCP on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 368.9 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; www.wcap.ca), produces and explores for oil and natural gas in Western Canada. Oil makes up 80% of its daily output; the remaining 20% is gas. In the three months ended March 31, 2017, acquisitions plus successful drilling increased Whitecap’s average daily production by 30.0%. It rose to 55,886 barrels of oil equivalent from 43,024 a year earlier. That gain, plus higher realized oil and gas prices, pushed Whitecap’s cash flow up by 83.6%, to $124.2 million from $45.2 million. However, cash flow per share rose 54.5%, to $0.34 from $0.22, as Whitecap issued more shares to pay for its acquisitions. The company’s $790.2 million of debt is a reasonable 22.8% of its market cap. Whitecap continues to grow by acquisition. In 2016, that totalled $630.6 million in property purchases, including the significant acquisition of a southwest Saskatchewan site producing 11,600 barrels of oil per day. This buy also…