The Successful Investor Hotline – Friday, March 23, 2012

Article Excerpt

PENGROWTH ENERGY CORP., $9.78, Toronto symbol PGF, is buying rival oil producer NAL Energy Corp. (Toronto symbol NAE) in an all-stock transaction. Under the terms of the deal, NAL investors will receive 0.86 of a Pengrowth common share for each share they hold. That will give them 26% of the combined company. The plan needs shareholder and other approvals, but Pengrowth and NAL aim to complete the merger by May 31, 2012. Adding NAL’s properties in Alberta and B.C. (54% natural gas and 46% oil) will increase Pengrowth’s projected 2012 production to between 86,000 and 89,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, from its earlier range of 74,500 to 76,500 barrels. Following the merger, the combined company plans to sell some of its less-profitable properties and apply the cash to its Lindbergh oil sands project. As well, the combined company will have $4.3 billion in tax pools that it can use to offset income taxes until 2015. That should let Pengrowth keep paying monthly…