Alberta Focus Pays Off For TransAlta

Article Excerpt

TRANSALTA CORP. $33 (Toronto symbol TA; Conservative Growth Portfolio; Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 202.2 million; Market cap: $6.7 billion; SI Rating: Average) continues to profit from rising power demand in Alberta, which accounts for 58% of its generating capacity. In the three months ended September 30, 2007, power production grew 2.7% from a year earlier. That helped increase revenue 8.5%, to $711.6 million from $656.0 million. Earnings per share before unusual items jumped 77.8%, to $0.32 from $0.18. Cash flow per share rose 23.1%, to $0.80 from $0.65. TransAlta trades at 26.6 times its likely 2007 earnings of $1.24 a share. That’s a higher p/e than Fortis, since investors expect faster growth from TransAlta because it focuses on unregulated power plants. TransAlta’s $1.00 dividend yields 3.0%. TransAlta is a buy. buy…