Most actively traded companies on the TSX

By Canadian Press

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:

Toronto Stock Exchange (15,228.11, up 429.82 points.)

Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B). Industrials. Up five cents, or 11.63 per cent, to 48 cents on 24.4 million shares.

Cenovus Energy Inc. (TSX:CVE). Energy. Up 62 cents, or 14.16 per cent, to $5 on 14.7 million shares.

Baytex Energy Corp. (TSX:BTE). Energy. Up 6.5 cents, or 17.33 per cent, to 44 cents on 12.8 million shares.

Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX:MFC). Financials. Up $1.44, or 8.63 per cent, to $18.13 on 11.4 million shares.

Husky Energy Inc. (TSX:HSE). Energy. Up 44 cents, or 12.02 per cent, to $4.10 on 10 million shares.

MEG Energy Corp. (TSX:MEG). Energy. Up 47 cents, or 17.22 per cent, to $3.20 on 8.6 million shares.

Companies in the news:

Roots Corp. (TSX:ROOT). Up 18 cents, or 19.8 per cent, to $1.09. Clothing retailer Roots Corp. plans to close permanently nearly all of its U.S. stores as they continue to underperform in a retail environment exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The company will close seven of nine stores south of the border amid an increasingly challenging discretionary retail environment due to the novel coronavirus, said interim CEO Meghan Roach. In order to close the stores quickly and cost effectively, it filed for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy for its American subsidiary, Roots USA Corp., she said.

Husky Energy Inc. — Fears that crude oil prices slammed by a global economic “train wreck” will remain low for some time are forcing Calgary-based companies to write off billions of dollars in value from their oil and gas resources. Husky Energy Inc. announced a $1.7-billion first-quarter loss on Wednesday, including impairments of $1.1 billion after tax due to lower crude oil price assumptions plus an inventory writedown of $274 million. Fellow oilsands producer Cenovus Energy Inc. reported a $1.8-billion loss including impairment charges of $335 million in its upstream business due to low oil prices and $253 million from inventory.

Aimia Inc. (TSX:AIM). Up 28 cents, or 12.7 per cent, to $2.49. Aimia Inc. has replaced its CEO and shaken up its board as it tries to pivot from rewards programs to a new strategy as an investment holding company. The company says the board has appointed Philip Mittleman as interim chief executive, effective immediately in light of the “different skills” required by the change in direction and following a tumultuous year of shareholder unrest and litigation. Aimia sold its Aeroplan points program to Air Canada last year and is selling a majority stake in its money-losing loyalty points business to Waterloo, Ont.-based Kognitiv Corp.

Loblaw Companies Ltd. (TSX:L). Down $2.82, or 3.8 per cent, to $70.55. Canada’s largest grocer believes it will see “financial pressure” in the future as customers’ shopping habits change and costs rise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Loblaw Companies Ltd. saw a recent spike in sales much like Canada’s other large grocers — Metro Inc. and Empire Co. Ltd. — as customers stockpiled food in preparation to spend more time at home and eat out less often. Loblaw saw “a rush to retail” after the coronavirus was declared a pandemic, said president Sarah Davis, noting customer count and basket size quadrupled and e-commerce traffic tripled.

A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund. (TSX:AW.UN). Up 46 cents, or 1.7 per cent, to $27.35.  A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund reported same-store sales in its first quarter were down 4.0 per cent as the COVID-19 pandemic had an immediate impact on its restaurants. The burger and root beer chain says about 200 restaurants primarily in shopping centre food courts and street front locations are temporarily closed, while sales at its remaining restaurants are restricted to drive thru, delivery and mobile ordering. A&W reported its profit for the quarter ended March 22 totalled $5.5 million compared with nearly $5.7 million in the same period a year earlier. Net income, excluding non-cash items, totalled $7.7 million, up from $6.3 million a year ago.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2020.

The Canadian Press

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