Imperial slows Mackenzie

Article Excerpt

IMPERIAL OIL $45.93 (Toronto symbol IMO; Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $38.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.1%; www.imperialoil.ca) has slowed work on its proposed Mackenzie pipeline project, which would pump natural gas from the Arctic to Alberta. (Imperial owns 34.4% of this project, which has already received regulatory approval.) That’s because rising production of natural gas from shale rock has depressed gas prices in the past few years. As well, higher raw material prices would add to the project’s estimated cost of $16.2 billion. If Imperial decides to proceed, the new line could start up in 2018. The company feels that gas prices will be higher by then, as more coal-fired power plants switch to this cleaner burning fuel. Proposed shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asian markets could also push up prices. Imperial Oil is a buy. buy…