Two energy buys with growth ahead

Article Excerpt

ENCANA CORP $31.24 (Toronto symbol ECA; Shares outstanding: 735.4 million; Market cap: $23.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 2.6%; www.encana.com) had cash flow of $1.29 a share in the three months ended March 31, 2011 (all amounts except share price in U.S. dollars). That’s down 17.3% from the company’s year-earlier cash flow per share of $1.56 a share. Revenue fell 53.0%, to $1.7 billion from $3.5 billion. Lower natural gas prices were the main reason for the drop in revenue and cash flow. (Natural gas accounts for 95% of Encana’s production.) The company’s average selling price for gas fell 18.6% during the quarter, to $5.00 per thousand cubic feet from $6.14 a year earlier. The price decline offset a 2.1% rise in the company’s total production. Natural-gas producers are using new techniques, such as horizontal drilling, to extract more natural gas. That is increasing gas supplies, and keeping prices low. However, Encana’s rising production should push up its cash flow over the…