TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:
Toronto Stock Exchange (16,553.99, down 225.54 points.)
Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B). Industrials. Down five cents, or 4.95 per cent, to 96 cents on 13.2 million shares.
Roadman Investments Corp. (TSX:LITT). Financials. Up 1.5 cents, or 23.08 per cent, to eight cents on 11.3 million shares.
Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX:MFC). Financials. Down 32 per cent, or 1.41 per cent, to $22.32 on 11 million shares.
Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX:CVE). Energy. Down 37 cents, or 3.97 per cent, to $8.95 on 10.4 million shares.
B2Gold Corp. (TSX:BTO). Materials. Up 18 cents, or 3.05 per cent, to $6.09 on 8.6 million shares.
Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX). Materials. Up 91 cents, or 3.31 per cent, to $28.43 on 8.5 million shares.
Companies in the news:
Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX:RCI.B). Down $1.58 or 2.4 per cent to $64.04. Federal Industry Minister Navdeep Bains says the government is moving forward on its commitment to reduce wireless prices with quarterly progress reports and spectrum set aside for smaller carriers in an upcoming auction. He says the incumbents Bell, Telus and Rogers have two years to reduce prices for their wireless plans in the two- to six-gigabyte range by 25 per cent from where they were at the start of this year, or face further regulatory action. The commitment comes as a 2019 pricing report showed regional carriers had plans substantially lower than the big three carriers, though the wireless space in Canada has shifted substantially since much of the data was gathered last May.
Clearwater Seafoods Inc. (TSX:CLR). Up 60 cents or 11.9 per cent to $5.65. After receiving "several expressions of interest," Nova Scotia-based seafood giant Clearwater Seafoods Inc. announced Thursday it is exploring a possible sale of the company. In a news release, the company said it has formed a special committee of independent directors as part of a strategic review. It said the committee's options include a sale of all or a portion of Clearwater's assets in either one transaction or a series of transactions; an outright sale of the company; or a merger. The committee will also examine joint ventures, licensing arrangements and various financing alternatives or significant transactions.
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. — A boost in output from oilsands mines formerly operated by Shell Canada has sparked a $70-million expansion at a Shell oilsands upgrader, the president of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. reported Thursday. Increased reliability and process improvements have lifted capacity at Shell's former Albian mines in northern Alberta by about 40,000 barrels per day to 320,000 bpd since Canadian Natural bought a 70 per cent interest and took over operatorship three years ago, president Tim McKay said on a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter results. He said Shell now plans to add 15,000 to 20,000 bpd of capacity to its Edmonton-area Scotford upgrader — which converts heavy oil from the oilsands into lighter synthetic oils — to match mining capacity at 320,000 bpd.
Air Canada. (TSX:AC). Down $2.91 or 8.3 per cent to $32.16. Canada's largest airlines are waiving change fees in light of concerns about the novel coronavirus. Air Canada, WestJet Airlines, Air Transat, and Sunwing says one-time changes are permitted for tickets purchased this month. Most airlines will waive the fee for changes made at least 14 days before travel. However, Transat passengers can change their booking up to 24 hours before departure. All airlines require passengers to pay any fare difference between the original and new flights. Sunwing passengers can purchase insurance starting at $50 per person that provides full cancellation coverage up until three hours before departure for any reason.
Spin Master Corp. (TSX:TOY). Down $11.53 or 39.3 per cent to $17.78. Shares of Spin Master Corp. fell 30 per cent after the toy maker reported a loss in its latest quarter and warned it expected its gross product sales to decline this year. The company says it is monitoring the situation around the COVID-19 virus closely, as about 60 per cent of its goods are produced in China and it is not yet able to produce at full capacity. In its outlook, Spin Master says it expects a decline in gross product sales for 2020 toward the higher end of the mid-single digit range, due in part to supply chain and other disruptions resulting from the new coronavirus outbreak.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2020.
The Canadian Press
