Our top pick in Resource stocks

Article Excerpt

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $49 (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resource stocks sector; Shares outstanding: 882.1 million; Market cap: $43.2 billion; SI Rating: Average) is a leader in resource stocks, producing roughly 6% of Canada’s oil and gas. The company also operates oil refineries, plus around 1,900 retail gas stations under the ‘Esso’ banner. ExxonMobil Corp. owns 69.6% of Imperial’s stock. Imperial currently gets over 60% of its production from Alberta’s oil sands. It owns 25% of the massive Syncrude project, whose reserves should last 28 years at current production rates. Imperial also owns 100% of the Cold Lake oil sands project. Cold Lake should last 13 more years. Kearl has big long-term potential The company is now working on a third oil sands project called Kearl Lake. Imperial will own 70% of this project and operate it; ExxonMobil owns the remaining 30%. Imperial’s share of Kearl’s $8 billion cost is $5.6 billion. The project should begin operations in 2011, and last over…