Birchcliff Energy (OTCMKTS:BIREF) Shares Gap Up - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Shares gapped up — BIREF opened at $4.61 versus the prior close of $4.4610 and last traded at $4.5450 on a volume of 16,174 shares.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but mildly positive with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" (1 Strong Buy, 2 Buy, 2 Hold), although BMO and CIBC recently downgraded the stock.
• Key fundamentals: market cap ~$1.21B and P/E 27.51; the company reported EPS of $0.07 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $141.66M (above consensus), and carries low leverage with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Birchcliff Energy Ltd. (OTCMKTS:BIREF - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $4.4610, but opened at $4.61. Birchcliff Energy shares last traded at $4.5450, with a volume of 16,174 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BIREF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Birchcliff Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce downgraded shares of Birchcliff Energy to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Birchcliff Energy Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.51 and a beta of 0.43. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $5.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Birchcliff Energy (OTCMKTS:BIREF - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.07. Birchcliff Energy had a net margin of 8.86% and a return on equity of 2.81%. The business had revenue of $141.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $138.97 million.

About Birchcliff Energy

Birchcliff Energy Ltd. OTCMKTS: BIREF is a Canada-based exploration and production company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. Since its founding in 2000, Birchcliff has focused on developing natural gas, natural gas liquids and light oil resources in Western Canada. The company is publicly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the OTC Markets and maintains an integrated asset base to support its upstream and midstream activities.

The company's core operations are concentrated in the Montney formation of northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta, one of North America's largest unconventional resource plays.

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