Updating IMPERIAL OIL LTD., ATCO LTD. and NORDION INC.

Article Excerpt

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $46 (Toronto symbol IMO; Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $39.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 1.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.imperialoil.ca) now estimates that its Kearl oil-sands project will cost $10.9 billion. That’s 36% higher than its earlier estimate of $8 billion. The company owns 71% of Kearl, and Exxon-Mobil Corp. (New York symbol XOM) owns the remaining 29%. ExxonMobil also owns 69.9% of Imperial’s shares. Imperial has changed the original design of this project to make it easier to expand in the future, and to respond to new environmental regulations. These changes were the main reason for the higher costs. Kearl should begin operating in 2012, and increase Imperial’s production by 30%. Its reserves should last 40 to 50 years. Imperial Oil is a buy. ATCO LTD. (Toronto symbols ACO.X [class I non-voting] $64 and ACO.Y [class II voting] $64; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 58.2 million; Market cap: $3.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 1.8%; TSINetwork Rating:…