The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, July 14, edition that BMO Capital Markets analyst Randy Ollenberger has lowered his recommendation for Birchcliff Energy to "market perform" from "outperform." The Globe's Darcy Keith writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Ollenberger boosted his share target by 25 cents to $9. Analysts on average target the shares at $10.14. BMO expects to see generally weaker quarter-over-quarter results for the Canadian oil and gas group due to challenges presented by wildfires, heavy oil sands turnaround activity and weaker natural gas prices. Mr. Ollenberger says in a note: "Birchcliff shares have performed in-line with peers and Henry Hub natural gas prices year-to-date. ... Against a weaker gas price backdrop, we see limited share price upside over the next 12-months. That said, Birchcliff shares offer an attractive dividend yield, essentially paying investors to wait for stronger gas prices in 2025." The Globe says BMO is cautious on the oil and gas sector in general heading into second quarter results. The Globe reported on May 12 that Raymond James analyst Jeremy McCrea said Birchcliff shares had hit bottom and were poised to rebound. Birchcliff was then worth $7.59.