Canadian oil producer Cenovus Energy Inc. said it might sell up to CA$5 billion of stock, debt or other securities, a day after it announced a dividend cut, as the company shores up its balance sheet amid a slump in oil prices.
The company filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a mixed-shelf offering after the company also said on Feb. 11 it would cut its 2016 budget and lay off more employees.
In a mixed-shelf offering, a company may sell securities in one or more separate offerings without filing a prospectus for each one. The filing does not necessarily mean that the securities will be sold immediately, if at all.
U.S. oil producers including Oasis Petroleum Inc. (OAS) and Pioneer Natural Resources Co. (PXD) have also launched stock offerings, indicating that some oil producers can tap the capital markets even as highly indebted ones struggle to survive.
Cenovus cut its dividend by 69% on Feb. 12 and said it would further reduce its workforce, on top of last year's 24% reduction.
These measures come months after the company sold its oil and gas royalty properties to Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan for about CA$3.3 billion, to strengthen its balance sheet.
Cenovus had total debt of CA$6.53 billion (US$4.70 billion) as of Dec. 31. The company has a market value of CA$11.62 billion. ($1 = 1.3901 Canadian dollars)
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