At the beginning of 2014, Baytex Energy Corp. had assets of $2.7 billion and liabilities of $1.4 billion. Expecting oil prices to remain high, the company expanded significantly in the first half of 2014, and by the end of that year, total assets had risen to $6.2 billion. To finance this growth, the company borrowed heavily, and at one point during the expansion in early 2014, total liabilities were at $5.3 billion. However, shortly after the expansion, total liabilities fell and they were $3.7 billion by year end. In the last half of 2014, oil prices dropped dramatically and the company had a loss of $0.4 billion for that year. However, by December 31, 2014, shareholders' equity had risen to $2.5 billion and most of this rise occurred in the middle of the year.
Instructions
(a) What is the most likely explanation for the increase in shareholders' equity given the loss that occurred during 2014?
(b) If liabilities were highest during the year, why did they fall by year end?
(c) Do you think that the company was under pressure to reduce its liabilities once oil prices began to fall? Why or why not?
(d) The company's share price was over $45 when the expansion occurred but it fell to less than $20 by the end of the year. If the company issued any shares during the year, when do you think this happened and did the company choose the right time of year to issue shares?