Most actively traded companies on the TSX, TSX Venture Exchange markets

TORONTO – Some of the most active companies traded Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange:

Toronto Stock Exchange (12,773.12 down 48.71 points):

Kelt Exploration Ltd. (TSX:KEL). Oil and gas. Unchanged at $5.40 on 18,583,582 shares. It’s the first day of trading for the junior oil and gas company which was formed when Houston-based energy heavyweight ExxonMobil Corp. bought Celtic Exploration Ltd. for $3.1 billion. The approval of the deal, along with the takeover of Malaysia’s Petronas of Progress Energy Resources, signalled a change in Ottawa’s foreign investment rules.

Ithaca Energy Inc. (TSX:IAE). Oil and gas. Down 13 cents, or 6.60 per cent, at $1.84 on 7,976,263 shares. The company will buy Valiant Petroleum PLC for the equivalent of about $318 million in cash and stock. The deal would boost Ithaca into a leading mid-cap North Sea oil and gas operator.

Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B). Transportation equipment. Down four cents, or 0.96 per cent, at $4.11 on 6,205,206 shares.

Manulife Financial Corp. (TSX:MFC). Insurer. Down seven cents, or 0.46 per cent, at $15.23 on 5,361,676 shares. The financials sector slipped 0.29 per cent to 201.92 points.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (TSX:CNQ). Oil and gas. Up 53 cents, or 1.68 per cent, at $32.05 on 5,239,325 shares.

Lundin Mining Corp. (TSX:LUN). Miner. Down six cents or 1.28 per cent, at $4.61 on 5,140,363 shares. The metals and mining sector was one of the leading decliners, sliding by 1.11 per cet to 900.10 points.

TSX Venture Exchange (1,120.09 down 13.27 points):

Canadian Imperial Venture Corp. (TSXV:CQV). Energy. Down half a cent, or 33.33 per cent, at a penny on 18,702,666 shares.

Midlands Minerals Corp. (TSXV:MEX). Gold explorer. Down half a cent, or 50 per cent, at half a cent on 5,273,000 shares.

Companies reporting major news:

Magna International (TSX:MG). Auto parts. Up $2.17, or 3.96 per cent, at $57.02 on 1,251,795 shares. The company hiked its dividend by 16 per cent as it reported a big boost in sales and profit for the fourth quarter and raised its expectations for 2013. Magna, which is one of the largest auto parts makers in the world, said it earned US$351 million or $1.49 per share, up from US$312 million or $1.32 per share in the same 2011 periods. Sales jumped 11 per cent to US$8 billion.

Mega Brands (TSX:MB). Toymaker. Up 68 cents, or 5.77 per cent, at $12.47 on 95,899 shares. Mega Brands capped a strong year by posting its best fourth-quarter since the toymaker’s 2010 recapitalization, as soaring North American sales contributed to a 20-fold growth in net income. Profit ballooned to US$4 million versus $234,000 or in the same period a year ago. Net sales jumped to $127.54 million from $109 million.

InterRent Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX:IIP.UN). Real estate. Up a penny, or 0.15 per cent, at $6.50 on 497,381 shares. The company is buying a townhome complex in Ottawa and an apartment building in St. Catharines, Ont., for a combined price of almost $22 million. Both deals are expected to be completed by the end of March. The vendors were not identified.