Asset sales lift earnings

Article Excerpt

IMPERIAL OIL $46.86 (Toronto symbol IMO; Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $39.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.3%; www.imperialoil.ca) is Canada’s third-largest publicly traded oil company, after Suncor Energy (No. 1) and Canadian Natural Resources (No. 2). In the quarter ended September 30, 2016, Imperial’s revenue rose 4.0%, to $7.4 billion from $7.1 billion a year earlier. Earnings jumped 109.4% to $1.0 billion from $479 million a year earlier. Earnings per share increased 110.7%, to $1.18 from $0.56 a year earlier. The jump in profit was due to a gain of $716 million from the ongoing sale of companyowned Esso gas stations in Ontario and Quebec. Those deals involve several buyers. As of September 30, 2016, Imperial held cash of $248 million; its $7.0 billion in long-term debt is a low 18% of its market cap. Imperial Oil is a buy. buy…