New policy will benefit investors

Article Excerpt

CENOVUS ENERGY INC. $27 is a buy. Canada’s third-largest oil producer (Toronto symbol CVE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.9 billion; Market cap: $51.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend yield 2.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cenovus.com) has modified its shareholder return policy. Right now, Cenovus returns 50% of its free cash flow (after capital expenditures) to shareholders in the form of higher dividends and share buybacks. Once its net debt (total debt less cash balances) falls below $4.0 billion (it was $4.83 billion as of March 31, 2024), Cenovus will return 100% of free cash flow to shareholders. Under the new plan, when net debt rises above $4.0 billion, the company will deduct the amount by which the previous quarter’s net debt exceeded $4.0 billion from the 100% payout. This new policy gives it more flexibility to manage future investments and debt levels. As a result of the change, Cenovus raised your quarterly dividend by 28.6%. With the June 2024 payment, investors now receive $0.18…