By Adriano Marchese


Toronto-listed stocks were mildly lower in midday trading Thursday. The Canadian dollar reached a four-month low after the Bank of Canada's decision to hold the rate steady confirmed the central bank's comfort with policy divergence, according to FactSet. In the session, sector performance in Canada was mixed, with communication services, financial and healthcare the main laggards, while energy and tech were leading the gainers. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. shares were lower Thursday morning after the company reported a wider-than-expected loss in the fourth quarter.

Canada's S&P/TSX Composite Index at midday was 0.09% lower at 20327.92, and the blue-chip S&P/TSX 60 edged 0.16% lower to 1222.02.

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. shares dropped 8.9% to 25.45 Canadian dollars ($18.43) after reporting a net loss of C$41.5 million, or C$0.34 a share, compared with a profit of C$1.9 million, or C$0.01 a share, a year ago. The company said that November's cybersecurity breach is now estimated to have had a C$23 million negative effect on its earnings.


Other market movers:

Transat A.T. Inc. reported a narrower loss and higher revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 as travelers and vacationers returned to the skies in greater numbers. Shares were down 0.3% at C$3.37.

Greenlane Renewables Inc. shares were 4.4% higher at C$0.48 after announcing that it has secured a C$7.2 million contract to develop a food-waste renewable natural gas pipeline in Ohio.

Hut 8 Mining Corp. shares were down 5.9% at C$1.91 after reporting a widened loss in the fourth quarter while revenue decreased, missing analyst forecasts as cryptocurrencies faced a challenging year.


Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-09-23 1218ET