Topic: How To Invest

Dear Pat: What do you think about shares of Equal Energy? Could you please give me your insight and recommendation? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

Equal Energy, $4.74, symbol EQU on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 34.7 million; Market cap: $164.5 million; www.equalenergy.ca), is based in Calgary but has an office in Oklahoma City. Equal has producing oil and gas properties that are mainly located in Oklahoma, Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan. The company’s production is 52% oil and 48% natural gas. In the three months ended September 30, 2011, Equal’s cash flow was $0.50 a share. That’s up 19.0% from $0.42 a share a year earlier. The gain was mainly the result of higher oil prices and production. During the quarter, the company produced an average of 11,263 barrels of oil equivalent (including natural gas) per day, up 28.3% from 8,777 barrels a year earlier. Equal’s total debt of $221.8 million is a very high 134.8% of its market cap. The company is selling non-core assets to pay down its debt. For example, it recently sold producing properties in Alberta and B.C. for $40.3 million, and will soon sell an…