IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $42 (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 869.7 million; Market cap: $33.0 billion; SI Rating: Average) is Canada’s largest integrated oil company. It also operates over 1,900 retail gas stations under the “Esso” banner. ExxonMobil owns 69.6% of Imperial’s stock. Imperial gets about 90% of its daily crude oil production from its oil sands properties, mainly its 100% interest in the Cold Lake development and its 25% stake in the Syncrude partnership. Cold Lake’s reserves should last 13 more years, while Syncrude should continue for 28 more years. The company is now developing a new oil sands project at Kearl Lake. Imperial owns 70% of this project and will operate it; ExxonMobil owns the remaining 30%. Kearl Lake’s reserves should last 40 years. Imperial’s share of Kearl Lake’s costs is $5.6 billion. It has spent $400 million on Kearl Lake so far, mostly for early drilling and to build access roads. Imperial hoped Kearl Lake would begin production by 2011. Now, however, it will probably delay work on the project until oil prices improve. Meanwhile, Imperial earned a record $1.4 billion in the three months ended September 30, 2008, up 70.2% from $816 million a year earlier. Earnings per share grew 78.4%, to $1.57 from $0.88, on fewer shares outstanding. Cash flow per share rose 87.5%, to $1.95 from $1.04. Revenue grew 48.0%, to $9.5 billion from $6.4 billion. The stock now trades at 12.3 times its forecast 2008 earnings of $3.41 a share, and at 9.9 times its likely cash flow of $4.23 a share. The $0.40 dividend yields 1.0%. Imperial Oil is a buy.