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Save for later _A roundup of some of the North American equities making moves in both directions today_ ON THE RISE Calgary’s SECURE ENERGY SERVICES INC. (SES-T) jumped after it said on

Tuesday it would buy waste management services firm TERVITA CORP. (TEV-T) in an all-stock deal valued at $478-million, the latest consolidation in the country’s oil sector. The deal, which

will value the combined company at around $2.3-billion, comes as oil and gas companies seek to benefit from a recent run-up in crude oil prices while keeping a tight leash on costs. Secure,

which operates a network of crude processing and storage plants, oil and water pipeline and crude-by-rail terminals, said it will pay 1.2757 of its shares for each Tervita share held. At the

implied price of $4.13 per Tervita share, the deal values the industrial waste management firm at a 10.7-per-cent discount to its Monday closing price of $4.63. ATB Capital Markets analyst

Nate Heywood said: “The transaction will largely bolster the environmental solutions business adding scale and significant cost savings, complemented by stable midstream operations. ...

Overall, we view the transaction positively given the improved scale and attractive transaction value for SES.” Investment manager FIERA CAPITAL CORP. (FSZ-T) was up on news it’s set to

acquire the global equities business of Australian wealth manager AMP LTD.’s asset management arm for an undisclosed sum. As part of the deal, four-year old Global Companies Fund with more

than $500-million of assets under management would be transferred to Fiera Capital. AMP Capital’s four-person investment team would also move to Fiera Capital, AMP said. “The consideration

to be paid for the Global Companies capability is not material to AMP or AMP Capital,” the company said in a statement. The deal comes on the heels of AMP’s plans to sell 60 per cent of AMP

Capital’s private markets business to U.S.-based Ares Management for A$1.35 billion ($1.03 billion). AMP is also looking for a buyer for its fixed income business, and has been trying to

rebuild its reputation since a 2018 public inquiry into the financial sector found AMP misled regulators and engaged in misconduct. BALLARD POWER SYSTEMS INC. (BLDP-T) was up with the

announcement that it has received follow-on purchase orders from Wrightbus, a leading bus manufacturer in Northern Ireland, for a total of 50 fuel cell modules to power Fuel Cell Electric

Buses. VERMILION ENERGY INC. (VET-T) rose in reaction to releasing fourth-quarter 2020 financial results after the bell on Monday that fell in-line with production expectations and exceeded

cash flow estimates. Several equity analysts raised their target prices for Vermilion shares in response to the announcement. INTER PIPELINE LTD. (IPL-T) increased after it asked

shareholders to reject BROOKFIELD INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS’ (BIP.UN-T) hostile bid, saying the offer “significantly undervalues.” Brookfield last month formally launched a hostile bid with

the same $16.50-per-share offer that Inter had rejected as inadequate weeks ago. The offer from Brookfield, which acquires and manages infrastructure assets, had valued Inter at about

$7.08-billion. Brookfield had said in February that it was willing to raise its offer to as much as C$18.25 per Inter share if the company comes to the negotiating table, but Inter turned it

down and later launched a strategic review of options. “The board believes the hostile bid significantly undervalues Inter Pipeline’s standalone plan,” the company said in its statement,

adding that it believes superior offers or other alternatives may emerge. Inter said last month its formal review could include a possible “corporate transaction.” The board is also looking

for a partner for Inter’s Heartland Petrochemical Complex (HPC) in central Alberta. While several analysts agree that the offer is low, they had said accepting the offer would be the most

likely outcome for Inter. The pandemic has hit Canadian oil and gas companies hard, crushing fuel demand, and leading to reduced crude production. Toronto-based JACK NATHAN MEDICAL CORP.

(JNH-X), a provider of primary care medical clinics in Walmart Supercentres, rose with the premarket announcement of the $1.2-million acquisition of four Ontario clinics owned and operated

by medical partner and Advisory Board member Dr. Hamilton Jeyaraj. The company said the deal represents an annualized increase of approximately 50 per cent of current revenue and reflects

its “plans to generate revenue growth and create shareholder value through clinic acquisitions and operations inside the Walmart footprint.” ON THE DECLINE SNC-LAVALIN GROUP INC. (SNC-T) was

lower in the wake of reporting its loss for its fourth quarter deepened compared with a year earlier as its revenue fell. The Montreal-based engineering firm says its net loss attributable

to shareholders totalled $702.7-million for the quarter ended Dec. 31 compared with $292.9-million in the fourth quarter of 2019. From continuing operations, SNC says its net loss

attributable to shareholders amounted to $322.9-million or $1.84 per diluted share for its most recent quarter compared with a loss of $180.2 million or $1.03 per diluted share a year

earlier. Revenue totalled nearly $1.7-billion, down from $1.97-billion. Last month, SNC announced a deal to sell its resources oil and gas business to Kentech Corporate Holdings Ltd. as part

of its shift to focus on its engineering services business. In a research note, Benoit Poirier, an equity analyst at Desjardins Securities, said: “Overall, we are pleased with the strong

results posted in 4Q despite the restructuring charges taken to derisk the LSTK backlog. Cash flow generation was robust in 4Q, marking the fifth consecutive beat. For 2021, management

expects breakeven operating cash flow (we expected $367-million), as positive cash flow from SNCL Engineering Services will be largely offset by SNCL Projects.” TURQUOISE HILL RESOURCES LTD

(TRQ-T) fell after it posted a 41.4-per-cent rise in quarterly profit on Monday, helped by higher copper prices and increased production of copper and gold at its Oyu Tolgoi mine in

Mongolia. The results come a week after Chief Executive Officer Ulf Quellmann resigned amid a protracted dispute between the company and its top shareholder, Rio Tinto, over funding for the

underground expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine. Mongolia had sought an agreement with Rio to cancel the deal underpinning the mine’s underground expansion, saying rising costs and

project delays had eroded the expected benefits. Oyu Tolgoi is one of the world’s largest copper-gold-silver mines. Rio owns 51 per cent of Turquoise Hill, which in turn owns 66 per cent of

the mine. The rest of the mine is owned by government of Mongolia. Copper production rose 26.4 per cent to 41.6 thousand tons in the fourth quarter, while gold production surged 266.7 per

cent to 88 thousand ounces. _With files from staff and wires_