Ray Merola: Nov. 6, 2017
Summary
- Shell is enjoying a remarkably successful corporate resurgence.
- Legacy BG Group opex and capex has been absorbed entirely without a loss of combined hydrocarbon volumes.
- Cash is king.
- Debt is trending down. The dividend is well-covered. Returns are solid, and improving.
- I remain constructive on RDS stock.
I’ve been pounding my fist on the table for Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) (RDS.B) for a couple of years now. It’s been that one, “fat pitch” worth waiting upon; these don’t come along very often. Since the end of 2015, ADR shares offered investors ~54% total return, or an 80% gain since the stock bottomed in January 2016.
The 3Q report included the hallmarks of recent previous quarters: linked-quarter revenue growth, continued strong cash flow, improving return-on-capital, reduced gearing, steady production, and ample dividend coverage. Details are found here.