Pengrowth cuts its debt

Article Excerpt

PENGROWTH ENERGY $5.02 (Toronto symbol PGF; Shares outstanding: 512.6 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 9.6%; www.pengrowth.com) has now closed the sale of its 10.02% interest in the Weyburn oil project in Saskatchewan. The company received $316.0 million for this stake. Pengrowth used the cash to pay down its long-term debt. As a result, its debt now stands at $1.6 billion, or 62% of its market cap. The company aims to raise an additional $400 million this year by selling more of its smaller properties. Over the longer term, paying down debt will give the company more flexibility to develop its Lindbergh oil sands project in Alberta. Pengrowth is a buy. buy…