Two gas producers for long-term gains

Article Excerpt

The long-term outlook for natural gas is positive, although in the short term, shale gas discoveries continue to rapidly increase supply. That’s keeping prices low—and pushing down shares of natural-gas weighted producers. We advise against going overboard in any one sector. However, we do think most safety-conscious investors should stick with the oil and gas buys we recommend, including Bonavista and Peyto. BONAVISTA ENERGY $13.57 (Toronto symbol BNP; Shares outstanding: 176.9 million; Market cap: $2.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 6.1%; www.bonavistaenergy.com) explores for oil and natural gas in Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. Bonavista’s production is weighted 61% to gas and 39% to oil. In the three months ended September 30, 2012, the company’s cash flow per share fell 42.9%, to $0.48 from $0.84 a year earlier. Gas prices declined by 38.0%, to $2.56 per thousand cubic feet from $4.13. Production also dropped 8.6%, to 65,464 barrels of oil equivalent per day (including gas) from 71,636 barrels. Bonavista…