The $16B Wake-Up Call: I'm Adding This 'TOLL' Dividend Machine To My Best Ideas List

When it comes to finding suitable total return and income stocks, my mission has always been highly specific: find companies with impressive structural tailwinds, impenetrable economic moats, and an unrelenting commitment to returning cash to shareholders. Now, we have a massive catalyst that perfectly aligns with this strategy, creating an opportunity that is simply too good to ignore. Recently, Shell ( SHEL ) agreed to acquire ARC Resources ( ARX:CA ) in a $16.4 billion megadeal . On the one hand, I hate this deal, as it means one of my favorite natural gas producers in North America is being bought by a major that I'm not a fan of (because I like smaller, specialized oil companies). This happened after Exxon Mobil ( XOM ) bought Pioneer Natural Resources a few years ago, and the takeover of Aris Water Management by Western Midstream Partners ( WES ). Although it confirms that the stocks we pick bring something to the table that others like as well, it takes some great companies off the market. On the other hand, it also signals something mission-critical for my portfolio strategy. The structural bottlenecks that previously pressured Canadian energy are officially easing. We're still in the early innings, but with new export infrastructure coming online - like Coastal GasLink and upcoming intra-basin egress projects - we are entering a volume-driven renaissance in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. That's a major reason why SHEL bought ARC Resources, as SHEL's resources have been dwindling and ARC Resources owns some of the best drilling spots in North America. While I'm not in the business of predicting M&A deals, we'll see more deals in oil and gas, as the Shale Revolution is over, oil prices are rising, and geopolitical risks are supporting diversified drilling. That's an easy call. Source: Reuters However, playing this thesis requires precision. While traditional exploration and production companies will undoubtedly benefit from this macro setup and our general bullish view on energy, they aren't my favorite way to play it. That's why I'm adding a pristine royalty and infrastructure player to my best ideas list.