Topic: Dividend Stocks

ENCANA CORP. $19 – Toronto symbol ECA

ENCANA CORP. $19 (Toronto symbol ECA; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 736.3 million; Market cap: $14.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 4.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.encana.com) is one of North America’s largest natural gas producers. The company prefers to focus on large unconventional reserves, including shale gas, which is natural gas that is trapped in rock formations. To extract it, companies must pump water and chemicals into the rock. This fractures the rock and releases the natural gas. Encana’s proven and probable reserves could last 23 years.

In 2011, the company agreed to sell $3.5 billion of non-essential assets (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars).

The sales are part of Encana’s plan to focus on its main gas-producing properties in Alberta, B.C., Wyoming, Michigan, Colorado and Louisiana. The company will also use the proceeds to maintain its quarterly dividend of $0.20 U.S. a share, for a 4.0% annualized yield.

Encana may also put some of this cash toward its proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Kitimat, B.C. Encana would own 30% of this terminal; Apache Corp. (New York symbol APA) would own 40% and EOG Resources Inc. (New York symbol EOG) would own the remaining 30%. Encana hasn’t said how much this terminal would cost. The company and its partners will decide whether or not they will go ahead with the Kitimat terminal by the end of 2012.

Rising shale gas inventories and unusually warm winter weather have pushed down gas prices. In response, Encana aims to triple its production of natural gas liquids (NGLs), such as ethane, propane and butane, by 2015. NGL prices tend to mirror the price of oil, which has remained high due to instability in the Middle East and rising Chinese demand.

Due to depressed natural gas prices, Encana’s shares trade at just 3.5 times the company’s projected 2012 cash flow of $5.50 U.S. a share.

However, many gas producers are cutting their production. That should help stabilize prices. Moreover, Encana has hedged 58% of its 2012 gas production at $5.80 per thousand cubic feet. That’s 137.7% more than the current price of $2.44.

Encana is a buy.

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