Updating MOLSON COORS CANADA INC. and IMPERIAL OIL LTD.

Article Excerpt

MOLSON COORS CANADA INC. $43 is paying $40 million for 51% of a new joint venture with Chinese brewer Hebei Si’hai Beer Company (all amounts except share price in U.S. dollars). This will help Molson Coors make its Coors Light beer more available in China. To put this investment in context, Molson Coors earned $69.7 million in three months ended March 31, 2010, down 29.5% from $98.8 million a year earlier. Earnings per share fell 30.2%, to $0.37 from $0.53, on more shares outstanding. The company increased its marketing spending by 30% over the year-earlier quarter. That was the main reason for the lower earnings. Best Buy. IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $43 earned $0.56 a share in the first three months of 2010, up 69.7% from $0.33 a year earlier. A 56% rise in oil prices helped offset a 16% drop in production. The company also raised its quarterly dividend by 10.0%, to $0.11 a share from $0.10. The new annual rate…