Most actively traded companies on the TSX

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

Toronto Stock Exchange (16,404.49, up 35.17 points).

Yamana Gold Inc. (TSX:YRI). Materials. Up 33 cents, or 7.43 per cent, to $4.77 on 8.9 million shares.

Zenabis Global Inc. (TSX:ZENA). Health care. Down 3.5 cents, or 11.86 per cent, to 26 cents on 7 million shares.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX:ACB). Health care. Up 14 cents, or 2.89 per cent, to $4.99 on 5.3 million shares.

Encana Corp. (TSX:ECA). Energy. Up 13 cents, or 2.39 per cent, to $5.56 on 4.8 million shares.

Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX:K). Materials. Up nine cents, or 1.45 per cent, to $6.29 on 4.1 million shares.

Aphria Inc. (TSX:APHA). Health care. Up 57 cents, or 8.49 per cent, to $7.28 on 3.8 million shares.

Companies in the news:

Hexo Corp. (TSX:HEXO). Down 20 cents or six per cent to $3.11. Hexo Corp. is winding down its operations at its greenhouse in Beamsville, Ont., as part of the cannabis company’s cost-cutting moves. The Niagara-area greenhouse belonged to Newstrike Brands Ltd., a licensed producer backed by members of the Tragically Hip band that Hexo acquired in May. A spokeswoman for Hexo says it acquired Newstrike for its brand and distribution channels, and the facility in Beamsville provided additional supply. Hexo did not answer questions about how many employees at the Beamsville facility were impacted, but earlier this week the Gatineau, Que.-based firm announced that it was reducing its workforce by approximately 200 jobs across the board.

Shaw Communications Inc. (TSX:SJR.B). Up 81 cents or 3.25 per cent to $25.72. Freedom Mobile’s subscriber growth gained momentum during the summer months despite a new level of competition from its bigger rivals, senior management at Shaw Communications Inc. told analysts Friday as the company reported a fourth-quarter profit of $167 million. During the quarter ended Aug. 31, Freedom added 90,700 customers to bring its total to nearly 1.7 million subscribers in three provinces, making it the largest of Canada’s four main regional wireless carriers. The subscriber growth exceeded analyst estimates, which had generally been for less than the 85,000 net subscriber additions that Freedom reported in last year’s equivalent period.

Domtar Corp. (TSX:UFS). Up $2.55 or 5.4 per cent to $49.45. Shares in Domtar Corp. soared after it reported better-than-expected results for its latest quarter. Domtar, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$20 million or 32 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down from a profit of $99 million or $1.57 per diluted share a year ago. Consolidated sales for the quarter totalled $1.28 billion, down from $1.37 billion. Excluding a number of one-time items, Domtar says it earned $55 million or 89 cents per share in the quarter compared with a profit of $92 million or $1.46 per share in the same quarter a year earlier.

CannTrust Holdings Inc. (TSX:TRST). Down 12 cents or 6.9 per cent to $1.62. CannTrust Holdings Inc. shares fell Friday after the cannabis company said it is laying off as many as 140 people — roughly one quarter of its workforce — while it works to regain its federal licences to sell and produce pot. The Vaughan, Ont.-based pot producer said late Thursday there will be a series of phased layoffs between late October and the end of the year. The cuts are expected to result in monthly cash savings of about $400,000 and cost up to $800,000 in severance payments if the employees are not recalled within 35 weeks. The savings from these temporary layoffs will be dependent on the timing of employee recalls pending reinstatement of the company’s licenses by Health Canada, CannTrust said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2019.