Dividend Power Score
A single, comprehensive score designed to measure the true strength of a company’s dividend.
This score combines three essential pillars of dividend quality:
Consistency – Measures how reliable the dividend has been over time, focusing on payment history, stability, and the absence of cuts or suspensions.
Payability – Assesses the company’s financial ability to sustain its dividend, taking into account cash flow, earnings coverage, balance sheet strength, and overall financial health.
Growth – Evaluates the long-term growth of both the dividend and the company’s share price, highlighting businesses that consistently increase payouts while creating shareholder value.
Higher scores identify companies that have historically delivered dependable income alongside sustained dividend growth and long-term capital appreciation.
Company Overview
Touchstone Exploration Inc. is a Canadian-based oil and gas exploration and production company focused primarily on onshore assets in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The company operates within the upstream energy industry, with activities spanning exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas. Touchstone’s revenue is primarily derived from the sale of natural gas to the domestic Trinidadian market and crude oil sold under local pricing mechanisms.
The company has positioned itself as a growth-oriented junior producer with a focus on natural gas development, leveraging Trinidad’s established energy infrastructure and long-standing hydrocarbon regulatory framework. Originally incorporated in 1979, Touchstone evolved from a small oil producer into a more gas-weighted operator following a series of asset acquisitions and exploration successes in the Ortoire exploration block, which significantly reshaped its asset base and strategic focus during the late 2010s and early 2020s.
Business Operations
Touchstone’s operations are centered on upstream oil and gas activities, with its core assets located onshore Trinidad. The company’s primary operating segments include natural gas exploration and production and crude oil production, with natural gas increasingly representing the dominant revenue driver. Gas production is sold under long-term contracts to the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago, while oil production is sold domestically.
The company controls several key exploration and production licenses, including interests in the Ortoire, WD-8, and Fyzabad onshore blocks. Touchstone operates these assets directly and employs conventional drilling and completion technologies. Its operations benefit from existing pipeline networks, processing facilities, and export infrastructure, reducing development risk and capital intensity compared to frontier exploration regions.
Strategic Position & Investments
Touchstone’s strategic direction is centered on transitioning toward a natural gas–focused production profile, underpinned by the development of discovered gas resources within the Ortoire Block. Growth initiatives have emphasized drilling appraisal and development wells, constructing gas processing facilities, and securing long-term gas sales agreements to underpin predictable cash flows.
Major investments in recent years have included the drilling and development of the Cascadura and Coho gas discoveries, along with associated infrastructure to bring these resources into production. The company has pursued organic growth rather than large-scale acquisitions and does not maintain a diversified portfolio of unrelated subsidiaries, instead concentrating capital on maximizing value from its Trinidad asset base and strengthening its balance sheet through increased production.
Geographic Footprint
Touchstone Exploration’s operations are geographically concentrated in Trinidad and Tobago, where it holds multiple onshore exploration and production licenses. Corporate headquarters and executive management are based in Canada, while operational teams and field activities are located in Trinidad and Tobago, reflecting the company’s dual-country structure.
Although the company does not operate across multiple continents, its activities have international relevance through Trinidad’s role as a major Caribbean energy hub and liquefied natural gas exporter. Touchstone’s production contributes indirectly to global energy markets via Trinidad’s established gas monetization and export framework.
Leadership & Governance
Touchstone is led by an executive team with experience in upstream oil and gas operations, capital markets, and international energy development. The leadership team emphasizes disciplined capital allocation, operational execution, and long-term value creation through resource development rather than short-term production growth.
Key executives include:
- Paul Baay – President and Chief Executive Officer
- James Shipka – Chief Financial Officer
- Chris Wilson – Vice President, Engineering
- Mark A. A. McNeill – Vice President, Geosciences
- Mike A. Bell – Vice President, Operations
The company is governed by a board of directors that provides oversight on strategy, risk management, and corporate governance, with a stated focus on regulatory compliance, safety, and sustainable development within its host country.