TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:
Toronto Stock Exchange (19,108.33, down 147.59 points.)
Athabasca Oil Corp. (TSX:ATH). Energy. Up nine cents, or 17.65 per cent, to 60 cents on 11.2 million shares.
Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. (TSX:TBP). Health care. Up four cents, or 10.81 per cent, to 41 cents on 10.4 million shares.
Gear Energy Ltd. (TSX:GXE). Energy. Up one cent, or 1.96 per cent, to 52 cents on 5.6 million shares.
Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX). Materials. Unchanged at $26.19 on 5.4 million shares.
Mega Uranium Ltd. (TSX:MGA). Materials. Up 2.5 cents, or 11.63 per cent, to 24 cents on 5.4 million shares.
Zenabis Global Inc. (TSX:ZENA). Health care. Up one cent, or 9.09 per cent, to 12 cents on 5.2 million shares.
Companies in the news:
Imperial Oil Ltd. (TSX:IMO). Up $1.62, or 4.8 per cent, to $35.50. Shares in Imperial Oil Ltd. rose Friday after it raised its dividend by nearly 23 per cent and announced accelerated share buybacks as it continues to prioritize returns to shareholders over spending on big growth projects. The Calgary-based oilsands producer and refiner also reported first-quarter oil and gas production that beat analyst expectations. Imperial said it will now pay a quarterly dividend of 27 cents per share, up from 22 cents. It also announced a plan to spend as much as $1 billion over the next two months to buy back up to four per cent of its outstanding shares, increasing the program from 50,000 shares to about 29 million. Imperial reported net income of $392 million or 53 cents per share on revenue of nearly $7 billion in the first quarter compared with a net loss of $188 million or 25 cents on $6.69 billion in the first quarter of 2020.
Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX:QSR). Up $1.20, or 1.4 per cent, to $84.41. Ongoing stay-at-home orders in Canada are continuing to dampen sales at Tim Hortons, with the impact on morning coffee routines the single largest drag on the chain's sales, the head of the restaurant's parent company said Friday. Indeed, Restaurant Brands — also the parent company of Burger King and Popeyes — topped expectations as it reported its first-quarter profit and sales grew compared with a year ago. The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, said it earned net income attributable to common shareholders of US$179 million or 58 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31. The result compared with a profit of US$144 million or 48 cents per diluted share in the same quarter last year. Revenue in the quarter totalled US$1.26 billion, up from nearly $1.23 billion in the first three months of 2020. But the company's big picture masks the slump at Tim Hortons, which recorded a 4.9 per cent decrease in system-wide sales during the three-month period. That's compared with the same quarter in 2020, which was down 9.9 per cent compared with 2019.
BCE Inc. (TSX:BCE). Up 11 cents to $58.10. Bell has signed a deal to buy the promoter of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in a move it says will bring financial stability to the race. Financial terms of the agreement for Montreal's Octane Racing Group Inc. were not immediately available. The Canadian Grand Prix was cancelled for the second year in a row earlier this week due to COVID-19 health measures, but officials also announced that a contract to hold the race in Montreal has been extended by two years. The extension secures the race in Montreal through 2031. Bell says it will ensure that tickets sold for the 2020 race will be valid for the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix or refunded if ticket holders prefer. Bell Media's sports networks TSN and RDS have been Formula 1 partners and announced last year an extension of Formula 1 World Championship broadcast rights in Canada until 2024.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2021.
The Canadian Press
