imperial oil

POWER CORP. $29.45 (Toronto symbol POW; Shares outstanding: 414.4 million; Market cap: $13.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.6%; www.powercorporation.com) holds its financial assets through its 65.7% stake in Power Financial....

Resist the urge to go overboard in Canadian oil stocks—but especially in junior oils, futures or options.

Dear Reader: Most successful investors describe themselves as buy-and-hold investors. But for many, their strategy is more like buy-and-hold-till-I-get-bored, or until I see or hear about something better on TV or the Internet.

Instead, rather than ―buy and hold‖, we prefer a “buy and watch closely” strategy....

SUNCOR ENERGY INC. $34 (Toronto symbol SU; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.6 billion; Market cap: $54.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.suncor.com) is Canada’s largest integrated oil company. Oil production supplies about 40% of Suncor’s overall revenue. The remaining 60% comes from its four oil refineries (three in Canada and one in Colorado) and 1,500 Petro-Canada gas stations. Suncor gets 66% of its crude from its oil sands projects in northern Alberta. It gets a further 16% from the Syncrude oil sands project north of Fort McMurray. In March 2016, the company completed its all-stock acquisition of Canadian Oil Sands Ltd., which owns 36.74% of Syncrude. If you include Canadian Oil Sands’ debt of $2.6 billion, the total price was $7.1 billion. The company has now agreed to buy an additional 5.0% interest in Syncrude from Murphy Oil Corp. (New York symbol MUR). Suncor will pay $937 million when it completes the purchase in the next few weeks. That will raise its stake in Syncrude to 53.74%....

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $41 (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $34.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.imperialoil.ca) is Canada’s second-largest integrated oil producer after Suncor. The company’s Alberta oil sands operations, including its 25% stake in the Syncrude project, supply 90% of its crude. Imperial also has conventional oil and gas operations in Western Canada, and invests in offshore projects in Atlantic Canada. In addition, it owns three refineries and makes petrochemicals. In March 2016, Imperial agreed to sell its 497 company-owned Esso gas stations to independent operators for $2.8 billion....

The wildfires near Fort McMurray, Alberta, have forced Suncor and other oil sands producers to temporarily shut down their operations. The fires did not damage these facilities, which are surrounded by gravel fields and firebreaks. However, evacuation of the area does present staffing challenges. Suncor aims to restart production in the next few weeks. While the shutdown will weigh on the company’s earnings, it has also contributed to the recent rise in crude prices. That should help Suncor offset some of the lost revenue. Moreover, the company’s new projects and greater efficiency put it in a strong position to expand its long-term earnings and cash flow—even if oil prices remain at their current level....

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $41 (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $34.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 1.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.imperialoil.ca) is Canada’s second-largest integrated oil producer after Suncor. The company’s Alberta oil sands operations, including its 25% stake in the Syncrude project, supply 90% of its crude. Imperial also has conventional oil and gas operations in Western Canada, and invests in offshore projects in Atlantic Canada. In addition, it owns three refineries and makes petrochemicals. In March 2016, Imperial agreed to sell its 497 company-owned Esso gas stations to independent operators for $2.8 billion....

SUNCOR ENERGY INC., $33.84, Toronto symbol SU, has had to reduce production at its main oil sands operations about 25 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, due to severe wildfires. In the quarter ended March 31, 2016, these operations accounted for 95% of Suncor’s bitumen production. The fires have also slowed production at the Syncrude oil sands facility, about 35 kilometers north of Fort McMurray. Suncor recently purchased an additional 5.0% interest in the operation. It now owns 53.74% of project. Its latest share purchase was for $937 million. That’s equal to 1.4 times the company’s first quarter cash flow of $682 million, or $0.45 a share....

IMPERIAL OIL $40.37 (Toronto symbol IMO; Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $34.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.5%; www.imperialoil.ca) is raising its quarterly dividend by 7.1% with the July 2016 payment, to $0.15 from $0.14. The company has paid dividends every year for over a century and has increased its annual dividend payment for 21 consecutive years. Imperial Oil is a buy....

ENBRIDGE INC. $50.95 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 924.3 million; Market cap: $47.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 4.2%; www.enbridge.com) has received Canadian regulatory approval to replace its Line 3 pipeline, which began operating in the 1960s. It pumps crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta, to Superior, Wisconsin. U.S. regulators have already approved the plan. The project will also enlarge the line’s capacity, from 390,000 barrels a day to 760,000 barrels. Enbridge expects to complete these upgrades by 2019. Regulators have imposed 89 conditions on the project—mainly additional measures to improve safety and environmental protections. But these conditions are unlikely to increase the project’s $7.5 billion cost....