Top oil producers poised to resume increases

Article Excerpt

Oil prices have stabilized around $45 U.S. a barrel on hopes that COVID-19 vaccines will help spur travel volumes and demand for fuel. We feel all investors should maintain some exposure to oil stocks, particularly integrated producers like Suncor and Imperial Oil; they should once again raise their dividends as the economy recovers. SUNCOR ENERGY INC. $23 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol SU; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 1.5 billion; Market cap: $34.5 billion; Dividend yield: 3.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Average; www.suncor.com) is a leading integrated oil firm, with major projects in the Alberta oil sands. It also operates four refineries (three in Canada and one in Colorado) and 1,500 Petro-Canada gas stations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Suncor cut your quarterly dividend by 54.8%. Starting with the June 2020 payment, investors now receive $0.21 a share instead of $0.465. The new annual rate of $0.84 yields a still-solid 3.7%. In anticipation of higher oil prices, Suncor expects to increase its production in…