Topic: How To Invest

Hi Pat: With all the controversy at Penn West, are you still keeping your recommendation as a hold? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

Penn West Petroleum, $8.30, symbol PWT on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 492.6 million; Market cap: $4.1 billion; www.pennwest.com), is one of Canada’s largest oil and gas producers. In May 2013, the company appointed former Suncor CEO Rick George as chairman to bring in much-needed measures to shore up its finances and boost its value. Penn West’s shares traded at $10 when George took over, down from a peak of $47 in 2006. The stock rose as high as $13.50 last year, but had moved back down to $10 in mid-July 2014. Since then, it has dropped a further 17%, to today’s price, after Penn West announced that it is re-examining its accounting practices going back several years. Penn West will now likely need to restate some of its past financial reports to account for problems that include understating its operating costs by $181 million over the last two years. The review may slow the company’s turnaround somewhat, but its wide range of oil and gas…