Topic: Growth Stocks

BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY $3.62 – Toronto symbol BIR

BIRCHCLIFF ENERGY $3.62 (Toronto symbol BIR; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative) (403-261-6401; www.birchcliffenergy.com; Shares outstanding: 152.3 million; Market cap: $542.2 million; No dividends paid) develops, produces and explores for oil and gas, mainly in the Peace River Arch area near the Alberta/B.C. border. About 87% of its output is gas. The remaining 13% is oil.

In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Birchcliff’s cash flow per share dropped 42.0%, to $0.29 from $0.50 a year earlier. Sharply lower oil and gas prices offset a 12.3% rise in daily production.

The company continues to support its cash flow with cost cuts. As well, in response to low prices, Birchcliff cut back on exploration and development spending for 2015. It will likely spend $249 million during the full year, down 45.0% from $451 million in 2014. It hasn’t yet announced its 2016 spending plans.

Prominent Toronto investor Seymour Schulich is the company’s largest shareholder; he just bought 2 million shares, bringing his total to 42 million, or 27.6% of its shares outstanding.

The stock now trades at 3.1 times Birchcliff’s cash flow per share, based on the latest quarter. That’s low for a company with strong potential to grow when oil and gas prices recover.

Birchcliff is a buy for aggressive investors.

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