Updates on ENCANA CORP., CENOVUS ENERGY, BCE INC., BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA and LOBLAW COS.

Article Excerpt

ENCANA CORP $32.40 (Toronto symbol ECA; Shares outstanding: 741.7 million; Market cap: $24.0 billion; SI Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 2.5%) took its present form on December 1, 2009. That’s when the old EnCana Corp. split itself into two separate companies. One is now called “Encana Corp.,” and focuses on unconventional natural gas. The other, Cenovus Energy Inc. (see below), specializes in oil-sands projects, oil refineries and conventional natural gas. If you assume the split occurred at the start of 2009, Encana’s earnings per share fell 22.2% in the three months ended March 31, 2010, to $0.56 from $0.72 a year earlier. (All amounts except share price in U.S. dollars.) These figures exclude several unusual items, such as gains on hedging contracts that Encana uses to lock in its selling price for natural gas. Cash flow per share declined 15.1%, to $1.57 from $1.85. Revenue fell 3.7%, to $3.5 billion from $3.7 billion. Lower natural-gas prices were the main reason for the declines. Encana’s…