Buzz on the Bullboards: Quarterly success stories and struggles
Equities in Toronto experienced growth this week, driven by gains in technology shares. Investors reacted positively to U.S. President Donald Trump's assurance that he would not dismiss Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. This stability in the U.S. financial leadership provided a boost to market confidence, leading to a favourable environment for investments.
Whitecap Resources (TSX:WCP, Forum) reported its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025. The company achieved a production of 179,051 boe/d during Q1 2025, marking a 1.3 per cent increase compared to the prior quarter and setting a record production number. The oil price was slightly higher in Q1 2025 compared to Q4 2024 in most markets, and a weaker Canadian dollar likely contributed positively. The realized natural gas price and NGL price for Whitecap saw significant increases, up 52 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. This resulted in a total realized price of C$58.5/boe in Q1, up 2.7 per cent compared to the prior quarter.
What the 'Buzz'
Our Bullboards have up to 2 million pageviews a day. Get the inside scoop on conversations around the most significant trends and stock appreciations in our weekly wrap up.
Get 'Buzz on the Bullboards' delivered to your inbox every Thursday! Buzz on the Bullboards | Sign Up Here
Whitecap Resources' recent acquisition of Veren (TSX:VRN, Forum) is set to create a larger company with a production of around 370,000 boe/d, warranting a premium valuation. The acquisition, expected to close in mid-May, will result in Veren shareholders owning 52 per cent and Whitecap shareholders owning 48 per cent of the combined entity. The long-term growth in production and production per share has been impressive for Whitecap over the last few years, and both metrics are expected to increase further once the merger closes.
Aecon Group (TSX:ARE, Forum) reported results for Q1 2025, with revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2025, totaling $1,062 million. This represents a $215 million, or 25 per cent, increase compared to the same period in 2024. Revenue was higher in the Construction segment by $214 million, driven by increases in nuclear ($125 million), industrial ($65 million), utilities ($15 million), and civil operations ($11 million), partially offset by lower revenue in urban transportation solutions ($2 million). The higher revenue was primarily due to increased refurbishment work at nuclear generating stations in Ontario and the U.S., and a higher volume of field construction work at industrial facilities in western Canada.
Despite the revenue growth, Aecon reported an operating loss of $40.7 million for Q1 2025, which was unfavourable by $36.5 million compared to an operating loss of $4.2 million in the same period in 2024. The decline was driven by a decrease in gross profit of $21.0 million. However, Aecon's backlog reached a record $9.7 billion at the end of Q1 2025, indicating strong demand for its services across Canada and select U.S. and international markets.
Aecon's strategic acquisitions completed in the second half of 2024, along with its strong bid pipeline, are expected to drive revenue growth in 2025. The company is focused on delivering several significant long-term progressive design-build projects and has recently reached commercial close on the Scarborough Subway Extension project. Aecon's disciplined capital allocation approach aims to enhance long-term shareholder value through acquisitions, organic growth, dividends, capital investments, and share buybacks.
Well Health Technologies (TSX:WELL, Forum) released its results for Q4 and the full year 2024. The company achieved annual revenue of $919.7 million in 2024, an increase of 19 per cent compared to the prior year. Revenue was negatively impacted by a delay in the recognition of revenue for Circle Medical amounting to $56.6 million and uncertainty of $24.5 million by CRH due to the Change Healthcare cyberattack. Excluding these impacts, Well was on track to achieve record revenue of $1.0 billion in 2024, an increase of 29 per cent compared to the prior year.
Well achieved record Free Cash Flow Attributable to Shareholders (FCFA2S) in 2024 of $49.3 million, representing an increase of ~16 per cent compared to $42.4 million in 2023. Adjusted EBITDA for 2024 was $46.7 million, compared to $113.4 million in 2023. Excluding the impacts from Circle Medical and CRH matters, Wellwas on track to achieve adjusted EBITDA of $127 million for 2024, an increase of 12 per cent compared to the prior year.
Looking ahead, Well provides a positive outlook for 2025 with annual guidance for revenue between $1.40 billion to $1.45 billion and adjusted EBITDA in the range of $190 million to $210 million. This guidance reflects 100 per cent consolidation of HealWell as per IFRS control requirements and assumes that substantially all of the deferred Circle Medical revenue will be recognized in 2025. The guidance does not include any contribution from the delayed earnings of CRH related to the cyberattack until further collections occur and the matter is settled with Change Healthcare.
Investors are encouraged to deepen their due diligence into these news-making stocks to keep their portfolios up to date. Whitecap Resources, Aecon Group, and Well Health Technologies have all reported significant developments and financial results that could impact their future performance. Staying informed and analyzing these companies' strategic moves and market conditions can help investors make more informed decisions.
For previous editions of Buzz on the Bullboards, click here.
Join the discussion: Find out what everybody's saying about these stock on Stockhouse's stock forums and message boards.
The material provided in this article is for information only and should not be treated as investment advice. For full disclaimer information, please click here.
(Top image generated with AI.)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
36 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Supreme Court of Canada to hear appeal in long-running Facebook privacy case
Published Jun 12, 2025 • 3 minute read The Facebook logo is seen on a cell phone in Boston, USA, Oct. 14, 2022. Photo by Michael Dwyer / AP OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to review a ruling that concluded Facebook broke federal privacy law by failing to adequately inform users of risks to their data when using the popular social media platform. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Last September, the Federal Court of Appeal found Facebook, now known as Meta Platforms, did not obtain the meaningful consent required by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act between 2013 and 2015. The decision overturned a 2023 Federal Court ruling. The Court of Appeal said Facebook invited millions of apps onto its platform and did not adequately supervise them. It found that the Federal Court's failure to engage with the relevant evidence on this point was an error of law. Privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne called the Court of Appeal decision an acknowledgment that international firms whose business models rely on users' data must respect Canadian privacy law. Facebook applied for a hearing at the Supreme Court, arguing the Court of Appeal took the wrong approach to consent and security safeguards under the privacy law. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It said in a written application that, rather than evaluating Facebook's multi-layered efforts to obtain meaningful consent, the Court of Appeal focused myopically on the platform's privacy policy alone. The Supreme Court, following its usual practice, gave no reasons Thursday for agreeing to hear the case. A 2019 investigation report from then-federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien and his British Columbia counterpart cited major shortcomings in Facebook's procedures and called for stronger laws to protect Canadians. The probe followed reports that Facebook let an outside organization use a digital app to access users' personal information, which was then passed to others. The app, at one point known as 'This is Your Digital Life,' encouraged users to complete a personality quiz but collected information about the people who installed the app and data about their Facebook friends. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Recipients of the information included the British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which was involved in U.S. political campaigns and targeted messaging. About 300,000 Facebook users worldwide added the app, leading to the potential disclosure of the personal information of approximately 87 million others, including more than 600,000 Canadians, the commissioners' report said. The commissioners concluded that Facebook violated PIPEDA by failing to obtain valid and meaningful consent from installing users and their friends, and that it had 'inadequate safeguards' to protect user information. Facebook disputed the investigation's findings. The company has said it tried to work with the privacy commissioner's office and take measures that would go above and beyond what other companies do. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In early 2020, Therrien asked the Federal Court to declare Facebook had violated the law. A judge ruled the commissioner failed to establish that Facebook breached the law on meaningful consent. He also agreed with Facebook's argument that once a user authorizes it to disclose information to an app, the social media company's safeguarding duties under PIPEDA come to an end. In its decision, the Court of Appeal noted Facebook's contention that users read privacy policies presented to them when they sign up to social networking websites — something the judges called 'a dubious assumption' given such documents can run to thousands of words. 'Terms that are on their face superficially clear do not necessarily translate into meaningful consent,' Justice Donald Rennie wrote for a three-member panel. 'Apparent clarity can be lost or obscured in the length and miasma of the document and the complexity of its terms.' In this case, Rennie said, a central question was whether a reasonable person 'would have understood that in downloading a personality quiz (or any app), they were consenting to the risk that the app would scrape their data and the data of their friends, to be used in a manner contrary to Facebook's own internal rules (i.e. sold to a corporation to develop metrics to target advertising in advance of the 2016 U.S. election).' World Celebrity World Sunshine Girls Toronto Maple Leafs
42 minutes ago
G7: Why there is hope of a Carney-Trump tariff breakthrough at Alberta summit
Global trade will be a major focus at next week's G7 summit as world leaders gather in Alberta, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who will be making his first appearance at a major international event since returning to the White House in January. Experts and ambassadors are expressing some optimism that this type of event could be a difference-maker in convincing Trump to reduce the amount of tariffs charged on imports to the U.S. Any possible concessions on the trade front would be welcomed by countries such as Canada, that are facing economic hardship because of tariffs. It's issue No. 1, said John Kirton, director of the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto. On Wednesday, CBC News (new window) and Radio-Canada reported (new window) that talks between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Donald Trump are advanced enough that a document containing a draft economic and security agreement has been exchanged between the Prime Minister's Office and the White House. Ottawa is stepping up its efforts in recent weeks to reach an agreement before the end of the G7 summit. Global trade has slowed as a result of the ever-changing tariffs announced by Trump that have targeted various countries and also certain materials, such as steel and aluminum. In response, many countries, including Canada, have enacted their own tariffs. Canada's unemployment rate has climbed to seven per cent, which economists say is a sign the trade war with the U.S. is taking a toll on the job market, especially the manufacturing sector. Trade and tariffs are the make or break issue that will determine whether the summit in the Alberta Rocky Mountain village of Kananaskis Country is a success or not, said Kirton. The G7 leaders' summit is coming to Kananaskis Country, Alta., this month. The region is known for its forests, lakes and mountains. Photo: Radio-Canada / Lyssia Baldini For now, he's hopeful the various leaders' meetings and one-on-one conversations could produce results. [Trump] likes to deliver big wins and the other G7 leaders are smart enough to deliver agreements which are real wins, said Kirton, pointing to how countries could pledge to increase defence spending and make other commitments, in exchange for lower tariffs on imports into the U.S. World leaders, including Carney, Trump and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union, are meeting in Alberta from June 15 to 17 for talks on a variety of other issues, including climate change and managing rapidly evolving technology. What you need to know about the G7 summit in Alberta (new window) The summit is a high-profile event, yet only involves a handful of world leaders, which is noteworthy, said Gary Mar, CEO of the Canada West Foundation, an Alberta-based think-tank. One of the reasons the G7 is effective is because it's a small group. It's small enough that it's focused and can really be productive, said Mar, who was part of the welcoming party at the Calgary airport when world leaders arrived for the last summit held in Kananaskis in 2002. Trade was not nearly as contentious at that gathering, but rather promoted as having a profound impact on economic growth and development around the world. At the time, U.S. President George Bush even highlighted the value of trade with Canada during the opening press conference. We've got a significant relationship together. It's a vibrant, positive friendship, said Bush. Trade is in the interests of all of us. There are some problems on occasion, but we've got the kind of relationship where we can be very frank about it and try to work them out. The 2002 summit was held less than 12 months after the terrorist attack on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, which is why the main focus was to discuss the war on terrorism and responding to the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Geopolitical tension and conflicts are expected to be one of the talking points at this year's G7, but the tariff situation will likely top the agenda. Trade policy needs to be discussed urgently, said Matthias Lüttenberg, Germany's ambassador to Canada, while on stage at a recent event in Calgary to discuss the G7. Free trade and open markets for Germany is one of the most important pillars of our economic world view and it's the foundation of prosperity and sustainable growth for all of us, he said. The G7 has an important role to play and the summit has value in producing results on global issues, Lüttenberg said, a sentiment shared by other ambassadors attending the G7 event. We know how it works and we have achieved so much together already. And I'm not only talking about leader statements, but it's also the practical work, he explained, pointing to the example of how the G7 agreed on certain sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, while also working toward how to help Ukraine rebuild. Global economic growth is slowing more than expected only a few months ago as a result of the Trump administration's trade war, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said earlier this month. The global economy is on pace to slow from 3.3 per cent last year to 2.9 per cent in 2025 because of the tariff fallout, the agency (new window) said, trimming its estimates from March for growth of 3.1 per cent this year. Kyle Bakx (new window) · CBC News
Cision Canada
an hour ago
- Cision Canada
CSA proposes amendments to modernize and streamline mining disclosure standards Français
VANCOUVER, BC, June 12, 2025 /CNW/ - The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) is seeking feedback on proposed amendments to National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The proposed amendments are intended to clarify, harmonize and streamline Canada's mining disclosure regime without introducing any new requirements. The proposed amendments would update and enhance the standards for disclosing scientific and technical information about mineral projects to address evolving disclosure practices and policy considerations identified by CSA staff, and to reflect changing industry and investor expectations. "Our goal is to provide investors with clear, reliable information about mineral projects so they can make informed decisions, without imposing an undue regulatory burden on mining issuers," said Stan Magidson, CSA Chair and Chair and CEO of the Alberta Securities Commission. "By modernizing and streamlining the disclosure regime, we aim to maintain Canada's position as the global standard for mining disclosure." The proposed amendments to National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects are designed to: remove or replace certain definitions and requirements that have become outdated modernize and streamline certain requirements to reflect current industry practice provide clarification and guidance on certain definitions and requirements, and make other minor language changes to clarify disclosure requirements. The proposed amendments are being published for a 120-day comment period and are available on CSA member websites. In April 2022, the CSA published CSA Consultation Paper 43-401 Consultation on National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects to inform this project. The CSA received valuable feedback from a large number of market participants, which it has considered. The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada's provinces and territories, coordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets. For media inquiries, please contact: Ilana Kelemen Canadian Securities Administrators [email protected] Elise Palmer BC Securities Commission [email protected] For investor inquiries, please contact your local securities regulator.
