Advantage Energy (AAV-T) Investors had a lukewarm reaction to its 2023 guidance and new "three-year strategic plan." The numbers were broadly in line with management's previous forecasts of 10-per-cent annual production boosts, with the official goal now being to get to 75,000 barrels a day by 2025, up from 59,000 to 62,500 barrels a day in 2023.
Management also included some of its usual fuzzy foreshadowing around "shareholder returns," declaring Advantage to be "in a strong position" to "maximize" them. It did not particularly clarify its meaning, but seemed to show a preference for share buybacks over dividends. Although Advantage got its start decades ago as an energy income trust, it converted to a corporation and shed the "income" tag in 2009, showing no subsequent interest in a dividend. It showed no interest in buybacks either until April of this year, when it launched its first regular buyback program. This was followed last month by a separate, special buyback program. The new update indicated that management will renew the regular program next year and "may" pursue additional special ones.
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