Crescent Point Energy, Inc. Trading At A Discount To Its Peers Despite Its High-Quality Oil & Natural Gas Assets

The share price of Crescent Point Energy has fallen much more than the oil price over the past several months but the stock still looks very attractive given its low EV/EBITDA multiples of 21.6x compared to the peer group’s 30.0x.

Written by SmallCapPower.com

Crescent Point Energy Corp. (CPG) is a conventional oil and gas producer with high-quality light and medium oil and natural gas assets across western Canada and the U.S. Unlike other oil and gas stock prices, which typically mirror the underlying oil price, the share price of Crescent Point Energy is trading much lower compared to the trend in WTI crude prices. Its current share price of $8.68 Canadian is down more 60% from the May 2016 high. With production increases in 2017 and beyond, and an expected recovery in oil prices, the stock could appreciate significantly compared to the other oil plays. In terms of EV/EBITDA too, Crescent Point Energy trades at a lower 21.6x versus the peer average of 30.0x.

Investment thesis

  • Holds high quality and large assets with significant resources
  • Prediction outlook for 2017 upwardly revised
  • Strong balance sheet

High-quality assets

Through its clearly defined strategy of acquiring new assets and developing existing ones, Crescent Point Energy has over the years built a large and high-quality portfolio of light and medium oil and natural gas assets across western Canada and the U.S. While acquisition efforts were focused in core areas in southern Saskatchewan, Crescent Point Energy continues to strategically target emerging plays such as the Bakken/Three Forks and the Uinta Basin. All these efforts have resulted in a large and diversified portfolio of assets encompassing large oil-in-place conventional plays, large low-risk resource plays, and early-stage development plays.

Significant reserves growth through acquisitions

Undeveloped resource base of >23 Bbbls: Crescent Point Energy has Original oil in place (OOIP) of > 23 billion barrels of oil with only 3% recovered to date, which shows vast exploration potential over the next several years. Currently Crescent Point Energy has ~8,085 net drilling locations within low cost, high-return basins (~14,850 including unrisked locations) and added ~1,000 new net risked locations per year on average over the last four years.

Increasing production

Crescent Point Energy reported a 5% increase in production for 2Q17 to 175,615 boe/d and consequently the full year 2017 guidance has been upwardly revised to 174,500 boe/d from 172,000 boe/d. One of the 2017 priorities for Crescent Point Energy is to execute organic exit production growth of 10%.

Strong balance sheet

As of June 30, 2017, Crescent Point Energy had manageable net debt of $3.9 billion Canadian and has no near-term debt maturities. Crescent Point Energy also has unused credit capacity of $1.5 billion Canadian that can be availed for the Company’s capex requirements for exploration and development activities.

(All figures in Canadian dollars)

Valuation and outlook

Compared to other oil peers’ share prices that are highly correlated and track the underlying oil price, the share price of Crescent Point Energy has fallen much more than the oil price over the past several months. The stock also looks attractive given its low EV/EBITDA multiples of 21.6x compared to the peer group’s 30.0x. With a robust outlook for production in 2017 and beyond, improving efficiencies, and manageable debt, the Company’s financials should improve going forward, which in turn could drive its share price.

 

Disclosure:

Neither the author nor any of the principals at Small Cap Power, or their family members, own shares in any of the companies mentioned above.

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