Enbridge Inc.

The Bakken oil formation was discovered in 1953 on Henry Bakken’s farm in the state of Montana, but it was abandoned because it was too difficult to access the oil with the technology of the time. The formation is a 350-million-year-old layer of rock that’s 300 metres below the surface and spread out over 200,000 square miles, with sections underlying Montana and North Dakota, as well as Saskatchewan and a small portion of Manitoba. The Bakken formation could contain as much as 503 billion barrels of oil. Saskatchewan and Manitoba could be holding a quarter of that total. By way of comparison, the massive Ghawar oil field, the largest in Saudi Arabia, is estimated to contain 125 billion barrels and produces half of that country’s oil output....

ENBRIDGE INC. $38 (Toronto symbol ENB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 797.1 million; Market cap: $30.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.3; Dividend yield: 3.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.enbridge.com) plans to spend $600 million to expand its natural gas distribution system in the Greater Toronto Area. To put this figure in context, Enbridge earned $653 million, or $0.86 a share, in the first half of 2012. These upgrades will help the company sell more gas in the fast-growing communities outside Toronto. Enbridge aims to complete this project in 2015. Enbridge is a buy.

ENBRIDGE INC. $38.65 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 796.9 million; Market cap: $30.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.9%; www.enbridge.com) recently finished repairing its leaking oil pipeline in Wisconsin. The company has faced criticism over leaks like this. That could hurt its proposed $5.5- billion Northern Gateway project, which would pump oil from Edmonton to Kitimat, B.C. However, Enbridge still has a strong safety record, and it has pledged to spend an extra $500 million on safety for Northern Gateway. This investment includes thicker steel at river crossings, 50% more inspections and aroundthe- clock staffing at remote pumping stations....

ENBRIDGE INC. $40.50 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 794.9 million; Market cap: $33.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.8%; www.enbridge.com) gets 80% of its revenue by operating pipelines that pump crude oil and natural gas from western Canada to eastern Canada and the U.S. The remaining 20% mainly comes from distributing gas to consumers in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York State.

Enbridge has spent over $12 billion on new growth projects in the past three years. This includes new pipelines to handle rising oil sands and shale gas production. Meanwhile, the company expects to complete another $13 billion in projects by the end of 2015. Additional projects are likely to follow.

In the three months ended June 30, 2012, revenue fell 17.5%, to $5.7 billion from $6.9 billion on lower gas prices. However, earnings per share before one-time items rose 5.9%, to $0.36 from $0.34.

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p>ENBRIDGE INC. $39 (Toronto symbol ENB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 797.0 million; Market cap: $31.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.enbridge.com) recently repaired a leaking oil pipeline in Wisconsin. The company has faced criticism over leaks like this. That could hurt its proposed $5.5-billion Northern Gateway project, which would pump oil from Edmonton to Kitimat, B.C. However, Enbridge still has a strong safety record, and it has pledged to spend an extra $500 million on thicker steel and extra monitoring for leaks.

Enbridge is a buy.

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ENBRIDGE INC. $39 (Toronto symbol ENB; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 797.0 million; Market cap: $31.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.enbridge.com) recently repaired a leaking oil pipeline in Wisconsin. The company has faced criticism over leaks like this. That could hurt its proposed $5.5-billion Northern Gateway project, which would pump oil from Edmonton to Kitimat, B.C. However, Enbridge still has a strong safety record, and it has pledged to spend an extra $500 million on thicker steel and extra monitoring for leaks. Enbridge is a buy.

ENBRIDGE INC., $39.86, Toronto symbol ENB, has finished repairing a leaking pipeline in Wisconsin. This line pumps crude oil from Western Canada to refineries in the U.S. Midwest. However, U.S. regulators have stopped Enbridge from restarting the pipeline until the company submits a new plan outlining its environmental and maintenance procedures. This delay is not likely to have a meaningful impact on Enbridge’s growth. Meanwhile, the company earned $277 million in the three months ended June 30, 2012. That’s up 7.4% from $258 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 5.9%, to $0.36 from $0.34, on more shares outstanding....

Enbridge has faced negative media coverage after U.S. regulators criticized it for its response to a 2010 pipeline spill in Michigan. As well, environmentalists and First Nations have objected to its proposed Northern Gateway oil pipeline from Edmonton to Kitimat, B.C. However, its financial strength will let it keep expanding through a number of projects—and raising its dividend. ENBRIDGE INC. $40.50 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 794.9 million; Market cap: $33.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.8%; www.enbridge.com) gets 80% of its revenue by operating pipelines that pump crude oil and natural gas from western Canada to eastern Canada and the U.S. The remaining 20% mainly comes from distributing gas to consumers in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York State. Enbridge has spent over $12 billion on new growth projects in the past three years. This includes new pipelines to handle rising oil sands and shale gas production. Meanwhile, the company expects to complete another $13 billion in projects by the end of 2015. Additional projects are likely to follow....

PENGROWTH ENERGY CORP., $6.40, Toronto symbol PGF, is cutting its monthly dividend by 42.9%, to $0.04 a share from $0.07, starting with the August 2012 payment. That caused the stock to fall 3% on Friday. Even after the cut, the new annual dividend rate of $0.48 a share still yields 7.5%. The company’s selling prices for oil and natural gas are falling, and it wants to conserve cash for potential acquisitions and investments in promising new projects, such as its Lindbergh oil sands development in Alberta....

ENCANA $20.75 (Toronto symbol ECA; Shares outstanding: 735.4 million; Market cap: $15.3 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 3.9%; www.encana.com) has come under fire over media reports that the company colluded with U.S.-based Chesapeake Energy Corp. (New York symbol CHK) with regard to various land deals in Michigan in 2009 and 2010. The companies are alleged to have agreed to avoid bidding against each other in order to keep prices of this land low. Now, recent discoveries of shale gas in Michigan have spurred strong demand for these properties for exploration purposes. (Chesapeake Energy is a recommendation of Stock Pickers Digest, our newsletter that focuses on aggressive investing.) Encana is now investigating these allegations, which are also likely to spur a number of class-action lawsuits. However, anti-competitive lawsuits are often difficult to prove....