Updated on October 10th, 2024 by Felix Martinez
Whitecap Resources (SPGYF) has two appealing investment characteristics:
#1: It is offering an above average dividend yield of 6.8%, which is nearly five times the 1.3% yield of the S&P 500.
#2: It pays dividends monthly instead of quarterly.
Related: List of monthly dividend stocks
You can download our full Excel spreadsheet of all monthly dividend stocks (along with metrics that matter, like dividend yield and payout ratio) by clicking on the link below:
The combination of an above-average dividend yield and a monthly dividend renders Whitecap Resources appealing to individual investors.
But there’s more to the company than just these factors. Keep reading this article to learn more about Whitecap Resources.
Business Overview
Whitecap Resources is an oil and gas company focused on acquiring, developing, and producing oil and gas in Western Canada. The company’s development programs focus on Northern Alberta and British Columbia, Central Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Whitecap Resources is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.
Whitecap Resources has some attractive characteristics. First of all, its assets are characterized by low decline rates. This is paramount in the oil and gas industry, as many producers suffer from high natural decline rates.
Source: Investor Presentation
In addition, Whitecap Resources greatly benefits from the ample reserves of oil and gas in the areas in which the company is present. The company grew its proved reserves per share by an impressive 49%. This admirable performance is in sharp contrast to that of most oil majors, which are struggling to replenish their reserves, let alone grow them.
As Whitecap Resources’ business is focused on oil and gas, it has exhibited a highly volatile performance record due to the dramatic cycles of oil and gas prices. The company has incurred material losses in four of the last ten years. Therefore, investors should carefully identify the part of the cycle that this business is in before investing in this stock.
Like almost all oil and gas producers, Whitecap Resources incurred excessive losses (—$3.55 per share) in 2020 due to the plunge in oil and natural gas prices caused by the pandemic. However, thanks to the massive distribution of vaccines worldwide, global oil and gas consumption recovered in 2021, and thus, the company returned to high profitability in that year.
The company reported its financial and operational results for the second quarter and first half of 2024. The company achieved strong production growth, with an average daily output of 177,314 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), driven by success in its Montney and Duvernay assets and conventional assets in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Revenues from petroleum and natural gas increased to $980.4 million in Q2 2024, up from $797.9 million in Q2 2023. Despite an increase in revenues, net income for the first half of 2024 was $304.3 million, down from $438 million in the same period last year.
Whitecap’s strong operational results translated into a solid financial performance, with funds flow reaching $426 million in Q2 2024. After capital expenditures of $204 million, the company generated $223 million in free funds flow, allowing it to return $110 million to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks. The company’s balance sheet remains strong, with net debt of $1.3 billion at the end of the quarter. Additionally, the company completed the sale of partial infrastructure, receiving $520 million in proceeds, further strengthening its financial position.
Looking forward, Whitecap aims to maintain its production guidance of 167,000–172,000 boe/d and capital spending of $0.9–$1.1 billion for 2024. The company plans to use $200 million of its asset sale proceeds to repurchase shares, with the goal of reducing net debt to below $1 billion by the end of the year. Whitecap’s management expressed confidence in continuing its momentum through 2024 and into 2025, citing solid asset performance and disciplined capital management.
Growth Prospects
Whitecap Resources’ proved reserve lifetime is 13.2 years, which is above the industry’s average of about 10 years. In addition, thanks to the favorable characteristics of its development areas, Whitecap Resources is growing its reserve base at a fast pace.
Source: Investor Presentation
A double-digit production growth rate is extremely rare in the oil and gas industry. In fact, most oil majors, such as Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Shell (SHEL), have failed to grow their output for several years in a row. This is a key difference between Whitecap Resources and most oil and gas producers.
On the other hand, Whitecap Resources is sensitive to the cycles of the oil and gas industry. This is clearly reflected in the company’s volatile performance record. During the last eight years, Whitecap Resources has grown its earnings per share by only 6% per year on average and has posted losses in four of the eight years.
Whitecap Resources currently enjoys strong business momentum, not only thanks to its high production growth but also due to the Ukrainian crisis and the deep production cuts implemented by OPEC in an effort of the cartel to support the price of oil. The price of natural gas has plunged this year, primarily due to an abnormally warm winter, but the price of oil has remained above average. As a result, Whitecap Resources is likely to continue thriving this year.
Given the positive business momentum, the cyclical nature of Whitecap Resources’ business, and last year’s high comparison base, we expect approximately flat earnings per share in five years.
Dividend & Valuation Analysis
Whitecap Resources is currently offering an above-average dividend yield of 6.8%, nearly five times the 1.3% yield of the S&P 500. The stock is thus an exciting candidate for income-oriented investors, but the latter should be aware that the dividend is not safe due to the cyclical nature of the oil and gas industry.
Whitecap Resources currently has an exceptionally low payout ratio of 58% and a decent balance sheet, with net debt of $3 billion, which is only 65% of the stock’s market capitalization. As a result, the stock’s dividend has a margin of safety for the foreseeable future.
On the other hand, due to Whitecap Resources’ cyclical business, its dividend is not entirely safe. In addition, U.S. investors should be aware that the dividend received from this stock depends on the exchange rate between the Canadian dollar and the USD.
In reference to the valuation, Whitecap Resources has traded for only 8.6 times its earnings per share in the last 12 months, primarily due to the above-average earnings posted last year. We assume a fair price-to-earnings ratio of 5.0 for the stock. Therefore, the current earnings multiple is higher than our assumed fair price-to-earnings ratio. If the stock trades at its fair valuation level in five years, it will have a headwind of a 5.3% annualized loss in its returns.
Considering the flat earnings per share, the 6.8% dividend yield, and a 5.3% annualized compression of valuation level, Whitecap Resources could offer about 2% average annual total return over the next five years. This is not a decent expected return but we recommend waiting for a lower entry point to enhance the margin of safety and increase the expected return.
Final Thoughts
Whitecap Resources has much better prospects in growing its production and reserves than most of its peers and is offering an above-average dividend yield of 6.8%. Thanks to its healthy balance sheet, the company is not likely to cut its dividend in the near future, which is likely to entice some income-oriented investors.
However, the company’s performance record has been highly volatile due to its business cycles. Therefore, investors should wait for a more attractive entry point.
Moreover, Whitecap Resources is characterized by low trading volume. This means that it may be hard to establish or sell a large position in this stock.
Don’t miss the resources below for more monthly dividend stock investing research.
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