Cinram, Magna, Manulife, Nortel, RIM: Canadian Equity Preview

The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in Canadian markets today. The preview includes news that broke after markets closed yesterday. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names and prices are from the last close.

The Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index fell 90.51, or 0.6 percent, to 14,273.37, yesterday in Toronto.

Cinram International Income Fund (CRW-U CN): The maker of digital video discs cut its monthly distribution by 40 percent to 16 cents a share and suspended the dividend altogether after December. Cinram also had third-quarter profit of 61 cents a share excluding one-time items, beating the 20 cent average forecast of two analysts in a Bloomberg survey. The shares fell 5 cents, or 0.4 percent, to C$12.80. Trading was halted before the release and after markets closed in Toronto.

Magna International Inc. (MG/A CN): Canada's largest auto- parts maker said that third-quarter profit rose 65 percent to $155 million on an increase in car production using higher-value parts. Earnings per share rose to C$1.38 from 86 cents. The average estimate of 17 analysts in a Bloomberg survey was for earnings of C$1.36 a share. Magna gained 62 cents, or 0.7 percent, to C$87.38.

Manulife Financial Corp. (MFC CN): Canada's largest insurer may report third-quarter earnings of 71 cents per share before one- time items, according to the average estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. That would exceed the 62 cent-a-share profit of the year-ago quarter. The shares fell 58 cents, or 1.4 percent, to C$42.40.

Nortel Networks Corp. (NT CN): North America's biggest telephone-equipment rebounded to a profit from a loss a year ago, when research and legal costs were higher. Third-quarter net income was $27 million, or 5 cents a share, compared with a loss of $63 million, or 14 cents, Toronto-based Nortel said today in a statement. Sales fell 7.6 percent to $2.71 billion, missing analysts' estimates. Nortel gained 20 cents, or 1.3 percent, to C$15.23 and has halved in value this year.

Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM CN): The maker of the BlackBerry e-mail phones was raised to ``outperform'' from ``neutral'' by Credit Suisse. The shares gained 91 cents, or 0.8 percent, to C$119.36.
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