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

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

Toronto Stock Exchange (13,294.20 down 86.21 points):

Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX). Miner. Down 15 cents, or 0.78 per cent, at $18.98 on 6.99 million shares. The gold sector slid 2.18 per cent to 173.50 points as the price of the bullion ended the day at US$1,308.50 per ounce, down $9.30 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Santonia Energy Inc. (TSX:STE). Oil and gas. Down 29 cents, or 14.50 per cent, at $1.71 on 6.14 million shares. The company posted a third-quarter loss of $18.71 million or 18 cents per share, narrowing year-earlier’s loss of $121.84 million or 19 cents per share. However, petroleum and natural gas revenue dropped nearly 47 per cent.

Manulife Financial (TSX:MFC). Insurer. Up 51 cents, or 2.73 per cent, at $19.22 on 5.96 million shares. The life insurance provider reported solid third-quarter results on strong investment activity and results from its wealth management business. It earned $1 billion or 54 cents per common share, reversing a loss of $211 million or 13 cents per share, which also included a $1 billion charge. Insurance sales were up four per cent.

Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B). Transportation equipment. Down four cents, or 0.86 per cent, at $4.62 on 5.36 million shares.

Encana Corp. (TSX:ECA). Natural gas. Down 34 cents, or 1.75 per cent, at $19.10 on 5.13 million shares.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (TSX:CNQ). Oil and gas. Up 12 cents, or 0.37 per cent, at $32.61 on 5.01 million shares. The company is hiking its quarterly dividend by 60 per cent starting in 2014 and will increase its capital spending next year after posting strong third-quarter results. It earned $1.17 billion or $1.07 per share, a significant jump from $360 million or 33 cents per share from the same year-ago period.

TSX Venture Exchange (931.08 down 10.23 points):

Zodiac Exploration Inc. (TSXV:ZEX). Oil and gas. Up a penny, or 18.18 per cent, at 6.5 cents on 3.56 million shares.

True Gold Mining Inc. (TSXV:TGM). Miner. Down three cents, or 8.82 per cent, at 31 cents on 3.05 million shares.

Companies reporting major news:

BCE. Inc. (TSX:BCE). Media and telecommunications. Up 39 cents, or 0.86 per cent, at $45.89 on 2.78 million shares. The parent company of Bell said its net income attributable to shareholders dropped to $343 million from $527 million in the same quarter last year, due to a $230-million regulatory charge as a result of its acquisition of Astral Media. Overall revenue was up 2.3 per cent to $5.1 billion.

Canadian Tire Corp. (TSX:CTC.A). Retailer. Up two cents, or 0.02 per cent, at $96.97 on 1.02 million shares. Third-quarter profit climbed by 11 per cent to $145.5 million, as strong sales across all its retail banners helped it handily beat analyst expectations. The results were up from $131.4 million a year ago while revenue totalled $2.96 billion, up from $2.83 billion.

TMX Group Ltd. (TSX:X). Stock market operator. Up $1.09, or 2.32 per cent, at $48.12 on 61,853 shares. The owner of Canada’s largest financial markets posted a $19.2-million profit in the third quarter, up nearly $4 million compared with the same time last year, as revenue rose to $165.3 million from $113.4 million. The company attributed the improved profit to cost savings from a major reorganization.