Company Receives TSX Approval for Renewal of Normal Course Issuer Bid
DENVER, Sept. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ – Ovintiv Inc. (NYSE: OVV) (TSX: OVV) today announced it has received regulatory approvals for the renewal of its share buy-back program. This action is consistent with the Company’s capital allocation framework, which returns at least 50 percent of post base dividend Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow to shareholders.
The Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) has accepted Ovintiv’s notice of intention to renew its normal course issuer bid (“NCIB”) to purchase up to 26,734,819 common shares during the 12-month period commencing October 3, 2023, and ending October 2, 2024. The number of shares authorized for purchase represents 10 percent of Ovintiv’s public float as of September 21, 2023, as calculated pursuant to TSX rules. Purchases will be made on the open market through the facilities of the TSX, New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and/or alternative trading systems at the market price at the time of acquisition, as well as by other means permitted by stock exchange rules and securities laws including Rule 10b-18 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Ovintiv has also renewed its automatic share purchase plan (“ASPP”) allowing it to purchase common shares under the NCIB when Ovintiv would ordinarily not be permitted to purchase shares due to regulatory restrictions and customary self-imposed blackout periods. Pursuant to the ASPP, Ovintiv will provide instructions during non-blackout periods to its designated broker, which may not be varied or suspended during the blackout period. Purchases by Ovintiv’s designated broker will be in accordance with applicable stock exchange rules and securities laws and the terms of the ASPP. All purchases made under the ASPP are included in computing the number of common shares purchased under the NCIB. The ASPP has been pre-cleared as required by the TSX.
The actual number of common shares that may be purchased under the NCIB and the timing of any such purchases will be determined by Ovintiv. The average daily trading volume through the facilities of the TSX, excluding purchases made on such facilities, during the most recently completed six-month period was 239,240 common shares. Consequently, daily purchases through the facilities of the TSX will be limited to 59,810 common shares, other than block purchase exceptions. Purchases over the NYSE will be made in compliance with the volume limitations in Rule 10b-18 in relation to average daily trading volume and block trades. All common shares acquired by Ovintiv under the NCIB may be cancelled or returned to treasury as authorized but unissued shares.
Pursuant to its existing NCIB, under which Ovintiv received approval from the TSX to purchase up to 24,846,855 common shares during the 12-month period commencing October 3, 2022 and ending October 2, 2023, Ovintiv has purchased 11,199,940 common shares on the TSX, NYSE and alternative trading systems at a weighted average purchase price of US$46.06 per common share.
On March 9, 2022, Ovintiv obtained an exemption order (the “NCIB Exemption”) from applicable Canadian regulators, permitting Ovintiv to make repurchases under the NCIB through the facilities of the NYSE and other United States-based trading systems in excess of 5 percent of Ovintiv’s outstanding number of shares, the maximum allowable under applicable Canadian securities laws absent an exemption. The NCIB Exemption allows Ovintiv to repurchase up to 10 percent of Ovintiv’s public float on such U.S. marketplaces provided that Ovintiv’s aggregate repurchases on all marketplaces do not exceed this amount over the 12-month period of the NCIB, which is consistent with the maximum number of shares Ovintiv is able to purchase under the NCIB. The other conditions to the NCIB Exemption are outlined in Ovintiv’s 2023 second quarter report on Form 10-Q filed on EDGAR and SEDAR+.