Ovintiv ups Permian output

Article Excerpt

OVINTIV INC., $44.96, is a buy. The energy producer (Toronto symbol OVV; Shares o/s: 243.6 million; Market cap: $11.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 3.6%) operates three core properties: Montney (B.C.), Anadarko (Oklahoma) and Permian (Texas). Ovintiv is now buying 1,050 wells in the Permian basin from private equity firm EnCap Investments L.P. The company will pay $4.275 billion U.S. in cash (73%) and shares (27%). The purchase will increase Ovintiv’s production from the Permian basin by 65% to 190,000 barrels a day (65% oil). To put that in context, the company’s overall production averaged 524,000 barrels a day in the fourth quarter of 2022. The new assets will immediately add to Ovintiv’s cash flow. As a result, the company is raising your quarterly dividend by 20.0%. The new annual rate of $1.20 U.S. yields a solid 3.6%. Ovintiv Inc. is a buy. buy…