oil prices

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $42 (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Shares outstanding: 848.0 million; Market cap: $35.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.4; Dividend yield: 1.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.imperialoil.ca) produced 386,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day in the three months ended September 30, 2015, up 25.7% from 307,000 a year earlier. That’s because Imperial recently completed the second phase of its 71%-owned Kearl oil sands project in northern Alberta. However, lower oil prices cut its revenue by 25.9%, to $7.2 billion from $9.7 billion. Cash flow per share fell 32.9%, to $1.10 from $1.64. Even so, Imperial plans to keep expanding Kearl and Cold Lake, its other main oil sands project. These operations, which should last decades, will prosper when oil prices rebound....

With an improving U.S. economy, cost-cutting and smart growth, we view Wells Fargo as a lower-risk value stock for conservative investors.

RUSSEL METALS INC., $19.26, symbol RUS on Toronto, is one of North America’s largest metal distributors, serving 39,000 clients at 53 locations in Canada and 12 in the U.S. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Russel’s revenue fell 25.5%, to $773.4 million from $1.04 billion a year earlier. The company’s sales mainly declined because revenue fell 40% at its energy products division, which supplies pipes for oil and gas drillers. Earnings dropped sharply, to $12.8 million, or $0.21 a share, from $33.0 million, or $0.54. The latest figure included a $2-million charge related to a more than 7% cut to the company’s workforce. Russel’s earnings fell faster than its revenue because steel prices moved down in the latest quarter. That hurts the company’s profit margins and causes it to suffer losses on its inventory....

IMPERIAL OIL $44.63 (Toronto symbol IMO; Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $37.8 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.3%; www.imperialoil.ca) is a major integrated oil company with oil sands projects in Alberta and conventional oil and gas operations across Western Canada. It also operates three refineries and 1,700 Esso gas stations. Imperial recently finished the second phase of its 71%-owned Kearl oil sands project in northern Alberta. In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Imperial’s share of Kearl’s output was 192,000 barrels a day. That helped push its overall production up 25.7%, to 386,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day from 307,000 a year earlier. However, lower oil prices cut its revenue by 25.9%, to $7.2 billion from $9.7 billion. Cash flow per share fell 32.9%, to $1.10 from $1.64. Imperial plans to keep expanding Kearl and Cold Lake, its two main oil sands properties. These projects will prosper when oil prices recover, and they should last for decades. Meanwhile, the company’s refineries cut its exposure to falling oil prices, as cheaper crude cuts the refineries’ input costs and increases their profit margins....

RUSSEL METALS $19.08 (Toronto symbol RUS; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative)(905-819-7777; www.russelmetals.com; Shares outstanding: 61.7 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; Dividend yield: 8.0%) is one of North America’s largest metal distributors, serving 39,000 clients at 53 locations in Canada and 12 in the U.S.

In the three months ended September 30, 2015, Russel’s revenue fell 25.5%, to $773.4 million from $1.04 billion a year earlier. Sales mainly declined because revenue fell 40% at the company’s energy products division, which sells pipes to oil and gas drillers.

Earnings dropped sharply, to $12.8 million, or $0.21 a share, from $33.0 million, or $0.54. The latest figure included a $2-million charge related to a more than 7% cut to the company’s workforce. Russel’s earnings fell faster than revenue because steel prices moved down in the latest quarter. That hurts its profit margins and causes it to suffer losses on its inventory.

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Mainstreet Equity, $32.50, symbol MEQ on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 10.3 million; Market cap: $333.9 million; www.mainst.biz), owns 216 properties with 9,319 apartment units, mainly in Western Canada. In the three months ended June 30, 2015, Mainstreet’s revenue rose 9.3%, to $25.1 million from $23.0 million a year earlier. Cash flow per share gained 15.9%, to $0.73 from $0.63. Mainstreet’s total debt, including mortgages, is $672.0 million, or a high 201% of its market cap. That’s compared to, say, RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, a recommendation of our Successful Investor newsletter, whose total debt of $6.7 billion is 82.0% of its market cap....

BOMBARDIER INC., Toronto symbols BBD.A $1.50 and BBD.B $1.42, announced this week that it will form a new joint venture with the government of Quebec.

Under the deal, the government pay $1.0 billion for 49.5% of a partnership that will own the CSeries passenger jet business (all amounts except share prices in U.S. dollars). Bombardier will own the remaining 50.5%.

The company is also giving Quebec warrants to buy up to 200 million class B subordinate voting shares at the U.S. dollar equivalent of $2.21 (Canadian) each. The warrants expire in five years. If Quebec exercises all of them, the extra shares would equal 8.18% of the total class A and B shares currently outstanding.

Bombardier has also promised to keep its headquarters and CSeries plants in Quebec for the next 20 years.

The cash from this sale will help Bombardier finish certifying the CSeries; flight tests are now 97% complete. Quebec’s backing should also help attract more buyers. The company has firm orders for 243 CSeries planes but hasn’t received any new orders in the past year.

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Low interest rates are cutting the income these lenders earn on new loans. At the same time, they’ve had to increase the rates they pay out to attract depositors, which has squeezed their margins. In response, they’re making acquisitions and cutting costs. These moves should fuel their earnings, particularly as interest rates will likely rise in 2016. WELLS FARGO & CO. $55 (New York symbol WFC; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 5.1 billion; Market cap: $280.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.3; Dividend yield: 2.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.wellsfargo.com) operates through three divisions: Community Banking provides mortgages, loans, credit cards and other financial services (57% of 2014 revenue, 59% of earnings); Wholesale Banking supplies business loans (27%, 32%); and Wealth, Brokerage and Retirement offers wealth management, brokerage and trust services to individuals and institutions, such as pension plans (16%, 9%)....

With $5.8-billion worth of investment planned in Alberta and Mexico, blue chip stock Canadian Utilities is poised to generate new profits.

Arsenal Energy Inc., $1.76, symbol AEI on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 19.3 million; Market cap: $34.1 million; www.arsenalenergy.com), produces oil and natural gas in Alberta, British Columbia and North Dakota. Its output is 76% oil and 24% gas. In the three months ended June 30, 2015, Arsenal produced 3,846 barrels of oil equivalent a day, down 10.4% from 4,292 barrels a year earlier. That’s because the company shut down some of its less profitable wells in response to low oil prices. Overall cash flow fell 47.0%, to $6.2 million from $11.6 million, while cash flow per share dropped 52.1%, to $0.34 from $0.71, on more shares outstanding....