The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Raymond James analyst Frederic Bastien added Aecon Group ($16.98) to the firm's "Canadian Analyst Current Favourites" list, replacing Russel Metals ($29.21). The Globe's David Leeder writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Bastien rates Aecon "strong buy," with a $23 share target, $2.95 below the consensus. Mr. Bastien says in a note: "Aecon is the contractor best positioned to profit from Canada's exceptional market opportunity. What we find particularly encouraging is the high level of continuity in the recent contract wins and the multitude of sectors and regions from where they are derived. ... The Line 3 Replacement assignment in Manitoba is a repeat of the work Aecon and its JV partner executed for Enbridge in Saskatchewan; crews from the Darlington nuclear refurbishment will also apply their expertise to Bruce Power's own fuel channel and feeder replacement project; and Montreal's REM mega-project is an awful lot like Toronto's equally large Eglinton Crosstown. We expect Aecon will take advantage of all the lessons learned on past projects to minimize risk and improve margins on the new ones. ... We expect the stock to outperform its peers."