Topic: How To Invest

ENCANA CORP. $19.34 – Toronto symbol ECA

ENCANA CORP. $19.34 (Toronto symbol ECA;Shares outstanding: 735.4 million; Market cap: $14.2billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividendyield: 4.1%; www.encana.com) is one of NorthAmerica’s largest natural gas producers. Its provenreserves should last over 14 years.

In the three months ended September 30, 2012,Encana’s cash flow per share fell 22.5%, to $1.24from $1.60 a year earlier (all amounts except shareprice and market cap in U.S. dollars).

Natural gas accounts for 95% of Encana’s production.In response to falling gas prices, the companylowered its output during the quarter; this was themain reason for the lower cash flow.

Encana has formed a joint venture with Petro-China, which is controlled by the Chinese government,to develop its Duvernay property in Alberta.

Under the deal, Encana sold 49.9% of Duvernay toPetroChina for $2.2 billion (Canadian). Encana willown the remaining 50.1% and will operate theproject. PetroChina has already paid Encana $1.2billion. It will pay the remaining $1.0 billion over thenext four years.

Joint ventures like this help speed up thedevelopment of promising new fields. Moreover, asPetroChina is buying only a minority interest in thisproject, the deal complies with the federal government’snew foreign investment guidelines. Ottawabrought in these new rules in response to thetakeover of oil sands operator Nexen Inc. by anotherstate-owned Chinese oil company.

Encana is still a buy.

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