Two Big Buys Transform Fortis

It pays to take a skeptical view of companies that rely on acquisitions for growth. But Fortis’s two big purchases in 2004 and this year — at a total cost of $5.2 billion — gave it more stable revenue streams, and cut its geographic risk.

Earnings… Read More

Fortis Inc. $27 – Toronto symbol FTS

FORTIS INC. $27 (Toronto symbol FTS; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 104.9 million; Market cap: $2.8 billion; SI Rating: Above average) operates electrical power plants in Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. It also invests in power utilities in the United States… Read More

Regulation Has Its Advantages

The move to deregulate electricity markets in the past decade has spurred many utilities to sell their power on the open market, instead of at predetermined rates. While that helps their growth, it also increases volatility.

Here are three utilities that prefer regulation, since it helps… Read More