TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Monday on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange:
Toronto Stock Exchange (12,707.41 down 65.71 points):
Aurizon Mines Ltd. (TSX:ARZ). Miner. Up 14 cents, or 3.22 per cent, at $4.49 on 13,855,728 shares. The company received a friendly $796-million takeover offer from U.S.-based silver, gold and metals producer Hecla Mining Co. Hecla’s offer values the Vancouver-based miner at C$4.75 per share, 40 cents per share above Aurizon’s closing stock price on Friday. The gold sector fell about 2.7 per cent as April bullion inched up a dime to US$1,572.40 an ounce.
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Inc. (TSX:RBA). Down $1.75, or 7.45 per cent, at $21.75 on 10,205,276 shares.
Kelt Exploration Ltd. (TSX:KEL). Oil and gas. Up 12 cents, or 2.22 per cent, at $5.52 on 5,714,750 shares. The energy sector was down 1.23 per cent while worries about demand from China helped push the April crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange down 56 cents to US$90.12 a barrel, its lowest close this year.
Canada Lithium Corp. Miner. (TSX:CLQ). Down five cents, or 6.58 per cent, at 71 cents on 4,818,085 shares.
B2Gold Corp. (TSX:BTO). Miner. Down 16 cents, or 5.32 per cent, at $2.85 on 4,036,834 shares.
Paladin Energy Ltd. (TSX:PDN). Oil and gas. Down five cents, or 4.13 per cent, at $1.16 on 4,025,324 shares.
TSX Venture Exchange (1,097.17 down 22.91 points):
Canadian Imperial Venture Corp. (TSXV:CQV). Energy. Up half a cent, or 50 per cent, at 1.5 cents on 20,786,011 shares.
Border Petroleum Corp. (TSXV:BOR). Oil and gas. Down one cent, or 25 per cent, at three cents on 7,409,217 shares.
Companies reporting major news:
BCE Inc. (TXS:BCE). Telecom and media. Up 18 cents, or 0.39 per cent, at $46.75 on 1,186,657 shares. The Competition Bureau has approved Bell's $3.38-billion proposed takeover of Astral Media Inc. (TSX:ACM.B), but with conditions. The federal regulator is requiring Bell to sell several of Astral's pay and specialty television channels including the Family Channel, Teletoon, and the Cartoon Network. The proposed deal is still subject to review by the CRTC.
Agrium Inc. Fertilizer, chemicals and farm inputs retailer. Down $1.87, or 1.74 per cent, at $105.43 on 604,713 shares. The chairman says Jana Partners LLC is providing incentives to the nominees it wants installed on the fertilizer giant's board, undermining their independence and putting them on a "golden leash." Agrium's current board and chief executive Mike Wilson have been outspoken critics of Jana, a New York-based fund that is Agrium's biggest shareholder with a 7.5 per cent stake.
