Profitable refineries give them an edge

Article Excerpt

Slowing industrial activity in North America and China has pushed down oil demand. At the same time, rising shale oil production from North Dakota’s Bakken region has increased inventories. Both of these factors have weighed on prices. Low prices are a mixed blessing for these three integrated oil companies. They earn less profit by producing crude, but their refineries also pay less for the oil they use. Oil prices will probably stay in a narrow range for the next year or so. That should keep increasing profits at these three companies’ refining businesses. As well, all three are scaling back their expansion plans. That should free up more cash for dividends and stock buybacks. SUNCOR ENERGY INC. $32 (Toronto symbol SU; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.5 billion; Market cap: $48.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. suncor.com) recently agreed to sell its conventional natural gas operations in Alberta, northeastern British Columbia and…