Cenovus EnergyCVE.TOCOMMENTNov 06, 2014Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jul 21, 2026. Market Open.
Lightened up a bit after the runup. Price of oil will come down, but the bigger question is where will it level out? A hard one to gauge, but his sense is that it will take longer to get supplies out. (He's not a big believer in the pending agreement yet.)
In general oil isn't going back to where it was, and these stocks will be pretty good buys. One of the best oil-levered plays. MEG purchase was brilliant.
Set-it-and-forget-it way to get exposure to bullish oil thesis. New floor for oil is $80, and higher in years to come. Downstream exposure (refineries), with margins at record highs. Top decile oilsands assets. Another record quarter. Really likes management. Yield is 2.09%.
(Analysts’ price target is $43.47)EPS of 50c surpassed the 42c estimate, and revenue of $10.88B beat forecasts by 2%. Results demonstrated Cenovus' substantial expansion through its MEG Energy acquisition, with record upstream production of 917,900 barrels per day in Q4 providing crucial volume protection against softer crude prices. Despite a recent geopolitical boost to oil prices, WTI has averaged $61.40 in Q1, down roughly 14% from Q1 2025. With stable to growing production, operating cash flow will likely face pressure in Q1 and throughout the year without a sustained price rebound. Shareholder returns should remain a focus, but buybacks are expected to moderate from last year's approximately C$2 billion as Cenovus manages MEG-related debt and works toward its C$4 billion net debt target. They remain fully comfortable with the position, though commodity price direction will be critical. Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free
What has scared him from owning this is the rising cost structure of the Christina Lake and Foster Creek oil sands projects as they got into the later stages of their life spans. Steam/oil ratios have gone up. Third-quarter earnings came out and were a big beat on expectations, in spite of some down time. This was a modest positive for the story. He is most interested in seeing, in the coming quarters, what their plan is for their fee simple lands. He is looking for $3 billion of value to be realized in a transaction similar to Encana (ECA-T) spinning out of Prairie Sky royalties.