Updates on Manitoba Telecom Services and Imperial Oil

Article Excerpt

MANITOBA TELECOM SERVICES $33.99 (Toronto symbol MBT; Shares outstanding: 64.7 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; SI Rating: Average) is the main supplier of traditional and wireless telephone services in Manitoba. The company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Allstream, sells telecom services to businesses across Canada. In the three months ended March 31, 2009, Manitoba Telecom’s revenue rose 0.9%, to $482.9 million from $478.8 million a year earlier. The gain was mainly caused by strong demand for wireless and high-speed Internet. These growth areas account for 47% of Manitoba Telecom’s revenue, and continue to offset lower revenue from its traditional telephone services. As well, the recession drove down demand at Allstream, particularly for long-distance services. This lowered the subsidiary’s revenue by 1.0%. Despite the higher overall revenue, Manitoba Telecom’s earnings fell 15.5%, to $45.9 million, or $0.71 a share. The company earned $54.3 million, or $0.84 a share, a year earlier. The drop was mainly caused by lower long-distance volumes at Allstream. In response to the…