Natural gas companies like Devon Energy Corp (NYSE:DVN), Noble Energy Inc (NYSE:NBL) Williams (NYSE:WMB) and Apache Corp (NYSE:APA) are all expected to lower their capital expenditures in 2011 in light of ongoing low natural gas prices.
A large portion of the lower capex will be from cutting back on drilling for natural gas by the companies, and other companies with natural gas exposure.
Some of those cuts could be offset by transferring spending to oil exploration and cash generation from free-flowing debt markets.
Williams has already confirmed they're going to cut spending in 2011, and the others mentioned are sure to follow. Lower prices and lower margins, which will result in lower earnings are the reasons behind the spending cuts. That means less money to spend, as too much debt spending would crush the performance of the companies.
One positive area for gas companies is liquids, where companies holding those assets will be able to sell it at premium prices.
An area that will demand capital expenditure are those holding leases on acreage that must be drilled unless they expire.
But based on the price of natural gas, some experts in the industry say supply is so abundant it could be many years before natural gas prices turn around.
The smart companies are increasing their exposure to oil and the liquids mentioned above. Those companies which don't adapt are going to struggle to increase earnings and be profitable.
EOG Resources Inc (NYSE:EOG) and Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK), among others, have already moved in that direction.
Another strategy recently has been for companies heavily exposed to natural gas to raise capital through debt, with Linn Energy (Nasdaq:LINE) and Anadarko Petroleum Corp (NYSE:APC) among the most recent.
They are doing that for the time when the natural gas market recovers, which will probably be a long wait. But they will be prepared for it whenever it does happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment