Oilsands buyout spree paying off as takeovers boost output

By Kevin Orland
The acquisition spree that returned much of Alberta’s oil sands to Canadian hands is so far working out as the buyers projected, with results at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and Cenovus Energy Inc. beating expectations on the back of higher output and lower costs.
Canadian Natural posted third-quarter profit on Thursday that topped analysts’ estimates as its buyouts of Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s and Marathon Oil Corp.’s stakes in the Athabasca Oil San