Opinions
Eric Nuttall
Arc Resources Ltd
ARX-T
PAST TOP PICK
May 20, 2025
Stock price when the opinion was issued
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EPS of 63c beat estimates of 53c. Revenue of $1.42B beat estimates of $1.38B. EBITDA of $881M beat estimates by 13%. Profit fell 27% despite higher production, due to lower prices. Production rose 4.7% year-over-year. Production matched estimates. EPS does call for lower income in 2025 but we think this is well-reflected in its low valuation. Overall, we are comfortable.
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He likes the idea of adding on weakness, that's what he's been doing. He uses a lot of optionality in his portfolios. So he's writing puts in the energy sector to acquire companies; if they don't go to those prices, he just earns the income. He's perfectly happy with a strategy like that at this point.
If we get a harder economic landing at some point, then oil has some more downside. The US outlook for crude oil demand was just downgraded. We're in a trading range, and he's accumulating into weakness.
Attachie, a growth project, has superb economics. They have about 4 or 5 more buried in their portfolio. Exposure to condensates, but it's really a gas play. Outlook for Canadian nat gas is meaningfully improving as LNG Canada comes on. (This is as long as producers show discipline and don't flood the market.) Conservative management, which is what you want in this climate.
Stands out as a really good value proposition, which he thinks will attract US investors when they realize there's nothing left to buy in the USA. Believes embedded resource value will be realized by somebody down the road. Yield is 2.96%.
Is a long-term hold. It's focused on gas and natural gas, which boasts great fundamentals. Arc is the top nat gas developer in Canada and owns a lot of its infrastructure, so are vertically integrated. The 2.93% dividend and cash flow are growing. Buy below $25, if you can.
(Analysts’ price target is $32.42)ARX has been showing nice momentum recently, and it trades at a decent valuation of 11X forward earnings. Its recent acquisition of Montney assets in Kakwa from Strathcona Resources is a significant strategic move, and it is expected to enhance ARX's production capacity and extend its inventory duration. To finance this acquisition, it plans to use a combination of a new $1.0B two-year term loan and existing credit facilities. After the acquisition, it is expected to have a net debt around $2.8B or more. We like the acquisition and for a long-term position, we would be comfortable buying here.
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Benefits from the rotation out of oil into nat gas, which is performing far better. They bought assets from Strathcona, which he sees as 6% accretive (other say 10%). ARX has decades of inventory and good management which have been buying back stock.