Topic: Dividend Stocks

ATCO LTD. – Toronto symbols ACO.X $92 and ACO.Y $92

ATCO LTD. (Toronto symbols ACO.X [class I non-voting] $92 and ACO.Y [class II voting] $92; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 57.5 million; Market cap: $5.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.2; Dividend yield: 1.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.atco.com) is a holding company. Its main subsidiary is 52.9%-owned Canadian Utilities (see left). It also owns 75.5% of ATCO Structures & Logistics, which builds temporary buildings for construction companies and energy exploration firms; Canadian Utilities owns the remaining 24.5%.

In 2012, ATCO’s revenue rose 11.9% to $4.4 billion from $4.0 billion a year earlier. In addition to a higher contribution from Canadian Utilities, revenue at its structures division rose 24.8% due to new mines, such as the Jansen potash project in Saskatchewan. Earnings rose 14.7%, to $375 million, or $6.48 a share, from $327 million, or $5.64.

ATCO continues to trade for less than the value of its assets; investors call this a “holding company discount.” Based on current prices, you can buy a share of ATCO for $92 and get roughly $93 worth of Canadian Utilities. That means you get ATCO’s non-utility businesses, which provide a third of its earnings, for free.

The stock trades at 13.4 times the $6.85 a share that ATCO should earn in 2012. The company also recently raised its annual dividend to $1.50 a share, up 14.5% from $1.31. The new rate yields 1.6%.

ATCO’s class I (X) non-voting shares are more liquid than the class II (Y) voting shares.

ATCO X is a buy.

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