reaction to Alberta’s proposed royalty over done

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Look for buying opportunity in Suncor and Canadian Natural, Citigroup says
( M+ c) I& s5 K; mThe negative after-market reaction to Alberta’s proposed royalty changes for the energy sector appears overdone and may present an opportunity to buy some names in the sector, says Citigroup analyst Doug Leggate.

He recommends keeping an eye on preferred names in the sector like Suncor Energy Inc. (SU/TSX) and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNQ/TSX), but admits there will likely be a strong response to any change from the industry.

8 I4 q& a7 U7 o9 Q+ vThis view is partly a result of oil prices. Citigroup has a long-term oil price assumption of US$60 per barrel, which means the changes are not considered material enough to warrant any alterations to its earnings or target prices.

$ f7 Z$ Z7 h( N2 z0 C4 DAt first glance, the proposed regime looks significantly less onerous than feared, Mr. Leggate said in a research note, adding that with US$55 oil, there would be no changes to his assumptions.

There would be an impact with prices at US$100 and the royalty rate increases on a sliding scale with a cap at US$120 for WTI crude, he said, adding that the sector is discounting prices below US$60.
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“...Versus the level of oil prices we estimate are currently being discounted in the major Canadian oil sands players, the impact on valuations looks benign,” Mr. Leggate wrote.
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  g9 ~* |" c- d# I6 W$ S0 zSo while he acknowledged that the new regime gives away some upside, the analyst thinks plenty of core value remains with investors.