Investors will gain from Suncor’s new focus

Article Excerpt

Partly due to pressure from an activist investor, Suncor recently shifted its focus to its main oil sands properties in Alberta. The company is also cutting its costs, which will free up more cash to reward investors with higher dividends and share buybacks. SUNCOR ENERGY INC. $51 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol SU; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.3 billion; Market cap: $66.3 billion; Dividend yield: 4.3%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.suncor.com) is Canada’s largest integrated oil firm, with major projects in the Alberta oil sands. Suncor’s major projects include its 58.74% stake in the massive Syncrude project; the other partners are Imperial Oil, which owns 25.0%, Sinopec (9.03%) and CNOOC (7.23%). The company also participates in several offshore oil projects near Newfoundland. Suncor’s proved and probable reserves of 7.2 billion barrels should last 26 years. The company also operates four refineries: three in Canada (Edmonton, Montreal and Sarnia, Ontario) and one in Colorado. They supply fuel to 1,585 Petro-Canada retail gas stations…