The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, March 11, edition that RBC Capital analyst Greg Pardy believes Athabasca Oil "possesses everything we are looking for in an energy producer -- a capable leadership team, shareholder alignment, solid operating performance, a strong balance sheet, organic growth profile and 100-per-cent payout of (thermal) free cash flow to shareholders." The Globe's David Leeder writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Pardy, in response to a recent pullback and expressing "confidence in its outlook," he raised his rating to "outperform" from "sector perform" following an in-line fourth quarter results that held no surprises for the analyst. Mr. Pardy gave his share target a 50-cent boost to $6.50. Analysts on average target the shares at $6.42. Mr. Pardy says in a note: "Our recent series of institutional meetings in Boston with Athabasca Oil's president and CEO, Robert Broen and CFO, Matt Taylor were informative and dug into the company's strategic game plan. ... What stood out most from our discussions was the straightforward approach under which Athabasca is led, shareholder alignment, technical depth and appreciation for consistent operational delivery."