Encana May Divest Canadian Shale Assets Amid Weak Crude

Encana Corporation (NYSE:ECA) is planning to divest some Canadian shale properties amid weak commodity prices going by Bloomberg.

The sale of Gordondale resources which is situated in the Montney basin could fetch the company as much as C$1 billion. This divestment will eventually help Encana to strengthen its balance sheet especially when the business scenario is not in favor.

It is to be noted that the Gordondale properties are now in the premature phase of development unlike the Cutbank Ridge Montney assets. The Cutbank Ridge is being developed by Encana in collaboration with Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp, a global integrated business enterprise.

The divestiture step that Encana might take is pretty common in this era of persistent weak oil and gas pricing environment. Many energy players are selling their assets to bolster their financials. In detail, since the companies are not generating sufficient cash flows after selling weak crude, divesting assets is one of the ways to improve cash balance and reduce debt. Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) , Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSa) plc RDS.A and BP plc (NYSE:BP) are among major energy firms walking on the same path with Encana.

Calgary, Alberta-based Encana is a focused pure-play natural gas exploration and production company. It is the second-largest gas producer in North America, and holds a highly competitive land and resource position in a number of the region's most promising shale and tight gas resource plays. This provides the company with a low risk, long-life, and sustainable growth profile.

Despite these positives, the company reported wider-than-expected first-quarter 2016 loss due to lower natural gas volumes.

As a result, the company carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better ranked energy player is PetroChina Co. Ltd. (PTR) with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).


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