BMO Capital raised the firm's price target on Imperial Oil to C$185 from C$129 and keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares as part of a broader research note adjusting the firm's models with updated Q1 mark-to-market assumptions to reflect the war in Iran as well as ongoing oversupply in the North American natural gas market. Oil and equity markets stand at the edge of the precipice, awaiting President Trump's next move, with an end to the conflict that would allow a resumption of flows through the Strait of Hormuz and see oil prices to settle into a $75-$85 per barrel trading range, while an escalation in hostilities and continued shutdown of the Strait could see oil prices soar to the $150-$200 range, the analyst tells investors in a research note. BMO maintains its view that the economic cost of an escalation and prolonged war are too steep, and the firm believes that the war will wind down by the end of April.
