Oil producers once again reward investors

Article Excerpt

Despite the severe drop in oil prices in 2020 due to COVID-19 shutdowns, Imperial Oil and Chevron maintained, rather than cut, their dividends. Now crude prices have recovered, and will likely remain elevated for the next few months as producers focus on improving their efficiency instead of expanding production. As a result, both firms are again rewarding their investors with dividend increases. IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $45 is a buy. This company (Toronto symbol IMO; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 695.6 million; Market cap: $31.3 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.imperialoil.ca) gets about 60% of its production from oil sands operations in Alberta. Imperial also has conventional oil and natural gas operations in the West and holds stakes in projects off the coast of Atlantic Canada. The company’s other operations include three refineries (one in Alberta, two in Ontario) and a petrochemical plant in Sarnia, Ontario. It also supplies gasoline to over 2,000 Esso and Mobil gas stations in Canada. ExxonMobil…