As a significant producer of oil, gas and LNG, you might think the vicious fall in oil prices would be terrible for Woodside Petroleum

As a significant producer of oil, gas and LNG, you might think the vicious fall in oil prices would be terrible for Woodside Petroleum. The market has dragged the share price lower, but it's quite possible that lower prices are a blessing for Australia's largest independent energy producer. We've maintained a Sell on Woodside for a while, arguing the company had no opportunity to reinvest cash and would face either dwindling output or be forced to buy expensive projects from peers. The oil price collapse has changed its options. As energy companies around the world seek to limit expenditure and conserve cash, more assets are now available more cheaply than at any other time since the GFC. Woodside is now essentially debt free and still generating strong cash flows from LNG contracts and conventional oil projects. There is a wonderful opportunity for the company to divert cash currently being paid as dividends into acquisitions and finally grow production. The list of potential targets is growing by the week and valuations in the sector have fallen a long way. (VIEW LINK)