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Article: EL PASO TO SHED ASSETS, CUT SPENDING, SLASH DIVIDENDS IN A BID TO SAVE CASH
- Article from:
- Hart's Petroleum Finance Week
- Article date:
- February 10, 2003
CopyrightCopyright Phillips Business Information, LLC Feb 10, 2003. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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El Paso Corp. (NYSE: EP) announced a slate of major initiatives last week to stop the bleeding on its balance sheet. But rather than ease market fears, the steps appeared to spook investors, and left analysts wondering about the company's future.
Highlights of the company's plan include:
* Selling $2.9 billion of noncore assets this year (in addition to the $3.9 billion in assets sold in 2002), including the majority of its remaining petroleum refining assets. The company plans to exit the liquefied natural gas (LNG) business, despite the fact that it has been among the most vocal backers of LNG in the industry.
* Cutting capital expenditures to $2.6 billion for 2003, a decrease ...