“Our returns in Canada continue to be every bit as strong as the rest of our portfolio. We will continue to build profitable investments in the Montney and the Duvernay and manage these assets out of the Calgary office. We do not expect any impact on our Canadian workforce, either in the office or the field.”
Encana’s Canadian address means it isn’t included in stock market indexes with its U.S. peers and therefore doesn’t attract dollars from growing ranks of passive investors, stated chief financial officer Corey Code on the call.
“We estimate today that less than 10 per cent of our ownership is comprised of passive accounts, far less than the 30 per cent average for our U.S. peers,” he stated.
Analysts stated the shift is not surprising given Encana’s increased focus on oil and natural gas liquids plays in the United States over the past decade, culminating in its US$5.5 billion all-shares acquisition of U.S. rival Newfield Exploration Co. announced a year ago.
“I am not surprised at all by the shift,” stated Jennifer Rowland, a U.S.-based analyst with Edward Jones.
“Post the Newfield deal, 60 per cent of Encana’s production is in the U.S. and two of its key growth drivers are in the U.S. … Plus CEO Suttles doesn’t live in Canada; he lives in Denver.”
Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage had a similar message. “I am troubled by news that Encana is formally relocating its headquarters to the United States,” she stated, in a tweet. “Sadly, I cannot state I’m surprised, as Encana has been shifting its efforts to the US for years, in large part due to harmful policies in Canada.”
Analyst Phil Skolnick of Eight Capital Research stated the headquarters shift is bound to lead to speculation about a sale of Canadian operations.
“It will beg the question of whether or not ECA will eventually sell or spin out its Canadian assets. We believe in this current market, this is not in the works,” he stated in a report.
The company’s shares sank on the news, falling 49 cents, or 8.86 per cent, to $5.04 in midmorning trading on the Toronto Stock Exalter.
(Dan Healing, The Canadian Press)
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