Lower costs will offset lower demand

Article Excerpt

IMPERIAL OIL LTD. $91 is a buy. The integrated oil producer (Toronto symbol IMO; Conservative and Income Growth Portfolios, Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 523.4 million; Market cap: $47.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.9; Dividend yield: 3.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.imperialoil.ca) is down 7% in the past month, mainly due to concerns that brewing tariff wars will trigger a global economic slowdown and depress oil demand. However, Imperial’s investments in more cost-efficient extraction techniques should help offset the impact of lower prices. In 2025, its operating costs per barrel will probably decline 2%. Moreover, most of its crude oil exports to the U.S. comply with the USMCA (U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement), so they remain exempt from U.S. tariffs. The company’s shares now trade at an attractive 8.6 times this year’s likely cash flow of $10.64 a share. The $2.88 dividend yields 3.2%. Imperial Oil is a buy. buy. …