Ovintiv’s high-quality reserves cut risk

Article Excerpt

The best way for investors to cut the risk of Resources holdings is to focus on producers with high-quality reserves, like Ovintiv. The company’s recent deal to increase its presence in the large Montney region should also spur its cash flow over the next few years. OVINTIV INC. $66 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol OVV; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 260.4 million; Market cap: $17.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 2.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.ovintiv.com) operates four core properties: Montney (B.C.), Permian (Texas), Anadarko (Oklahoma) and Uinta (Utah). In addition to natural gas, these fields produce large amounts of oil and natural gas liquids. In June 2023, the company paid private equity firm EnCap Investments L.P. $4.4 billion (73% in cash, 27% in shares) for 1,050 wells in the Permian basin (all amounts except share price and market cap in U.S. dollars). To help offset the cost, the company sold its holdings in the Bakken basin to EnCap for $734…