Buy for high yields and rising production

Article Excerpt

PEYTO EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT CORP. $18.87 (Toronto symbol PEY; Shares outstanding: 133.1 million; Market cap: $2.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 3.8%; www.peyto.com) produces and explores for oil and natural gas in Alberta. In response to Ottawa’s income trust tax, Peyto converted from a trust to a dividend paying stock on December 31, 2010. Peyto’s average daily production of 36,390 barrels of oil equivalent (including natural gas) is 89% gas and 11% oil. In the three months ended September 30, 2011, Peyto’s cash flow rose 34.8%, to $0.62 a unit from $0.46 a year earlier. The shares trade at 7.1 times the company’s forecast 2012 cash flow of $2.65 a share. Peyto’s long-term debt of $490 million is a low 19.6% of its $2.5-billion market cap. The company likely spent $375 million on exploration and development in 2011. It hasn’t yet announced its plans for 2012. Exploration success has raised its production by 53.1% in the last year. Before it converted, Peyto…