The Successful Investor Hotline – Friday, November 4, 2011

Article Excerpt

TRANSCANADA CORP., $42.37, Toronto symbol TRP, is still waiting for final approval to proceed with its proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline. Keystone XL includes the third and fourth phases of a four-phase, $13-billion U.S. project; phases one and two are already pumping crude oil from the Alberta oil sands to refineries in the U.S. Midwest. Keystone XL will cost $7 billion U.S., and will pump oil from Alberta through Oklahoma to the U.S. Gulf Coast. So far, TransCanada has spent $1.9 billion U.S. on Keystone XL. The U.S government should make a final decision by the end of 2011. If the pipeline is approved, TransCanada expects to complete it in the second half of 2013. Meanwhile, TransCanada earned $417 million (Canadian) in the three months ended September 30, 2011. That’s up 11.5% from $374 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 9.3%, to $0.59 from $0.54, on more shares outstanding. These figures exclude unusual items, such as gains and losses on…