For 65 years, Pembina Pipeline (TSX:PPL)(NYSE:PBA) has been serving North America’s energy industry.
The Calgary-based company owns an integrated system of pipelines that transport crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids throughout North America. The company’s products come primarily from Western Canada.
Currently, Pembina has a whopping dividend yield of 6.87%, with a stock price of $36.69 as of this writing.
With the stock well above its 52-week low of $25.18, is Pembina a good buy?
Acquisition pays off
In 2019, Pembina acquired Kinder Morgan Canada and the Cochin Pipeline for $4.35 billion. It appears this acquisition is beginning to pay off. Pembina’s recently announced fourth quarter and annual adjusted EBITDA were positively impacted by contributions from the assets acquired in the Kinder Morgan acquisition.
Pembina reported record fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $866 million, up 10% from the same period last year. The company also reported a record full-year adjusted EBITDA of $3,281 million, representing a 7% increase over the prior year.
The company recorded a loss in the fourth quarter of $1,216 million and a loss for the full year of $316 million compared to earnings of $150 million and $1,507 million, respectively, in the same periods in the prior year.
Maintains dividend
Braced for the challenges stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak, Pembina went to great lengths to protect its balance sheet and credit rating during the pandemic. The company has a stable contracted stream of cash flows, which covers all of its distributions.
Cash flow from operating activities totaled $766 million for the fourth quarter and $2,252 million for the full year.
The company increased its monthly dividend in early 2020 and maintained that dividend even after the onset of the pandemic.
In fact, Pembina has never reduced its dividend, even during difficult economic circumstances, such as the 2009 financial crisis and the 2015 commodity price downturn.
Bright outlook
Regarding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on operations, the company noted, “In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic drove commodity prices lower and prompted unprecedented defensive actions by our producer customers. However, given the ingenuity of our customers and the exceptional geology they sit upon; the highly diversified nature of our company across commodities, geographies, and customers; the highly contracted nature of our assets; our frac spread hedging program; as well as substantial cost savings achieved throughout the business, Pembina delivered adjusted EBITDA of approximately $3.3 billion, which is within our pre-pandemic guidance range and at 97 percent of the midpoint of that range.”
Fortunately, as the world begins to emerge from the effects of the global pandemic, 2021 has seen an increase in commodity prices. This has prompted the company to be cautiously optimistic on its 2021 financial outlook.
The bottom line
Given the fact that commodity prices have recently been rising, Pembina has reason to be optimistic about the future. Although the remainder of 2021 could pose some challenges as the effect of the pandemic lingers, long-term investors should consider Pembina.
With a stable balance sheet, the company looks poised to emerge stronger post-pandemic. And the fact that Pembina has never decreased its payout should quell any fears of would-be investors.
