Cenovus EnergyCVE.TOBUYAug 17, 2018Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Aug 14, 2026. Market Open.
It is the cheapest large cap quality company in North America. They have been shooting the lights out with the highest quality assets in Canada. Also they have been able to exit non-performing refineries and at the same time increasing exposure to better ones while turning them around. Margins are up 200 to 300% year over year in the last quarter and he thinks this will persist. They are getting refinery exposure and best of breed highest quality oil sands assets. The time for the oil sands is now. They have one of the cheapest multiples of large cap stocks in North America. . Also they are paying down debt to very conservative levels and returning 75% of free cash flow to shareholders mostly in the form of share buybacks. He thinks that number will go to 100% next year.
In summary it has an excellent balance sheet and management team as well as decades and decades of inventory. He sees 50 to 60% upside.
Buy 18 Hold 1 Sell1
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)
It is down 15% in the past month, due to widening heavy oil differentials. With more rail capacity coming, it will support differentials near WTI less $23 – he is using $20 in his models. They are paying down debt and he thinks the worst is behind them. When stricter sulphur limits are imposed on marine fuels in 2020, he estimates this will have a $5 worsening impact on heavy differentials. However, he thinks this will ultimately lead to higher oil demand globally and higher oil prices.