Most actively traded companies on the TSX

Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange:

Toronto Stock Exchange (15,396.70, down 146.44 points):

B2Gold Corp. (TSX:BTO). Miner. Down 22 cents, or 6.85 per cent, to $2.99 on 9.87 million shares.

Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX:K). Miner. Down 14 cents, or 2.76 per cent, to $4.94 on 7.93 million shares.

Yamana Gold Inc. (TSX:YRI). Miner. Down 29 cents, or 7.99 per cent, to $3.34 on 7.3 million shares.

Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX:MFC). Financial Services. Up 31 cents, or 1.28 per cent, to $24.44 on 6.6 million shares.

Baytex Energy Corp. (TSX:BTE). Oil and gas. Down 27 cents, or 6.54 per cent, to $3.86 on six million shares.

Home Capital Group Inc. (TSX:HCG). Financial Services. Down 83 cents, or 12.13 per cent, to $6.01 on 5.84 million shares.

Companies reporting major news:

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (TSX:CNQ). Oil and gas. Down $1.82, or 4.21 per cent, to $41.43 on 4.8 million shares. The Calgary-based company is reporting $245 million of net income for the first quarter, a big improvement from the loss it experienced at the same time last year but less than analysts expected. The profit amounted to 22 cents per share for the company. CNRL’s adjusted earnings were $277 million or 25 cents per share — two cents below analyst estimates.

Hydro One Ltd. (TSX:H). Utilities. Down one cent, or 0.04 per cent, to $24.02 on 346,766 shares. The Toronto-based company that operates most of Ontario’s power grid is reporting a 20 per cent drop in first-quarter profit. Hydro One Ltd. had $167 million of net income attributable to common shareholders in the quarter, or 28 cents per share. That’s down from $208 million or 35 cents per share in the comparable period last year. Revenue at the company was down 1.7 per cent at $1.66 billion.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSX:CM). Bank. Down $1.77, or 1.62 per cent, to $107.37 on 2.28 million shares. The Toronto-based bank is hiking its friendly takeover offer for Chicago-based PrivateBancorp to $6.8 billion, the second increase in recent weeks. The bank is now offering US$27.20 in cash and 0.4176 of a CIBC common share. The revised CIBC offer adds US$3 per share in cash or about $200 million to its March 30 bid.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. (TSX: RFP). Down $1.00, or 11.96 per cent, to $7.36 on 38,055 shares. The Montreal-based company says its recent achievements are being overshadowed by a tough market for its paper products and the recent imposition of U.S. duties on its exports of softwood lumber to the United States. CEO Richard Garneau says the company’s pulp, tissue and wood products operations have improved since the end of last year, but its paper business continued to face strong headwinds during the first quarter. The company says its net loss for the first quarter was $47 million, or 52 cents per share. That compared with a year-earlier net loss of $8 million or nine cents per share in last year’s first quarter. Sales were also down one per cent, to $872 million.

Empire Company Ltd. (TSX:EMP.A). Retail. Up 86 cents, or 4.21 per cent, to $21.29 on 721,627 shares. The company has launched a $500-million cost-cutting plan to turn around its Sobeys grocery business, which has been struggling to recover from missteps taken with the acquisition of Safeway Canada four years ago. The company says it’s aiming to hit its target by the end of its 2020 fiscal year, adding that the savings will come from a combination of measures including reductions to office staff.