Buy Crescent Point, hold on to Penn West

Article Excerpt

CRESCENT POINT ENERGY CORP. $39.03 (Toronto symbol CPG; Shares outstanding: 350.1 million; Market cap: $13.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 7.1%; www.crescentpointenergy.com) produces oil and natural gas in western Canada. Its production is weighted 90% toward oil and 10% to natural gas. The company continues to focus on its Bakken light-oil development in southeastern Saskatchewan. In the three months ended September 30, 2012, Crescent Point’s cash flow per share rose 3.7%, to $1.13 from $1.09 a year earlier. The company’s shares yield a high 7.0%. Crescent Point paid out just 62% of its cash flow as dividends in the latest quarter, so its current payout rate looks sustainable. Crescent Point raised its production by 37.9%, to 99,631 barrels of oil equivalent (including gas) from 72,258 a year earlier. That was the main reason for the higher cash flow. Crescent Point just paid $861 million for Ute Energy, which will add 7,800 barrels of oil per day in Utah. Ute also has lots…