Top Oil Stocks Invest For The Future

Article Excerpt

Energy prices are inherently volatile. So it’s a good idea to focus on well-established oil and gas stocks that can withstand the inevitable price setbacks — and prosper anew when prices rebound. Here is our analysis of three of our long-term favourites. IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $52 (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 914.2 million; Market cap: $47.5 billion; SI Rating: Average) is Canada’s largest integrated oil company. Imperial also operates 2,000 retail gas stations under the “Esso” banner. ExxonMobil Corp. owns 69.6% of Imperial’s stock. Imperial continues to invest heavily in new oil and gas projects. For example, it recently received regulatory approval to proceed with its Kearl Lake oil sands project, which contains roughly 4.6 billion barrels. That’s equal to 34% of Imperial proved and non-proved reserves of 13.5 billion barrels. Imperial owns 70% of Kearl Lake, while ExxonMobil owns the remaining 30%. Imperial estimates that Kearl Lake will cost $8 billion to develop. However, oil sands projects…