Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat, what are your top picks for natural gas producers, and do you have a current recommendation on Tourmaline Oil?

Article Excerpt

A: Tourmaline Oil Corp., $44.05, symbol TOU on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 326.1 million; Market cap: $14.3 billion; www.tourmalineoil.com), is a Canadian oil and natural gas exploration, development, and production company. Its properties are concentrated in central Alberta and northeast B.C. In the three months ended June 30, 2021, Tourmaline’s daily output averaged 410,339 barrels of oil equivalent (78% gas and 22% oil); that’s up 37.1% from 299,369 a year earlier. Cash flow per share jumped 127.7%, to $1.89 from $0.83. That’s due to the higher output as well as higher natural gas and oil prices. The company’s long-term debt of $1.6 billion is a low 11% of its market cap. Tourmaline continues to grow by acquisition. This includes the purchase of Modern Resources Inc. for $144.0 million in November 2020, and Jupiter Resources for $630.0 million in December 2020. The two acquisitions added about 76,000 barrels per day of production—an increase of about 25%. The new assets also include considerable exploration acreage and reserves. More…