The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday, Dec. 20, edition that Ivanhoe Energy and Niko Resources are now forced to find "strategic alternatives" to stay afloat in the new price environment. The Globe's Scott Barlow writes in the Strategy Lab column that he has combed through debt levels in the energy sector to identify companies likely to have the largest struggles generating enough profits to maintain heavy debt loads. Mr. Barlow chose net debt to EBITDA to gauge the balance between how much debt companies are carrying, relative to how easily expected profits will cover operational expenses and interest payments. There are a number of options available to those companies with weak ratios, so it is not a sign of certain corporate death. Mr. Barlow looked for companies where debt may be difficult to manage with expected profitability. Some of those companies are Lightstream Resources, Veresen, Paramount Resources, MEG Energy, and Advantage Oil & Gas. Mr. Barlow notes that there could be company-specific reasons why the debt-to-profit ratio for these stocks is nothing to worry about. Investors who own them, or are considering owning them, should confirm that is the case.