Buy quality assets at a discount: Power Corp

Article Excerpt

POWER CORP. OF CANADA $37 is a buy. The conglomerate (Toronto symbol POW; Conservative-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 652.2 million; Market cap: $24.1 billion; Dividend yield: 6.1%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.powercorporation.com) has several primary investments, including controlling stakes in Canadian financial services firms Great-West Lifeco (insurance) and IGM Financial (mutual funds). It also owns 15.5% of the Belgian holding company Groupe Bruxelles Lambert. With the May 2024 payment, the company will raise your quarterly dividend by 7.1%, to $0.5625 a share from $0.525. The new annual rate of $2.25 yields a high 6.1%. The holding company’s shares now trade at a 31% discount to its net asset value per share of $53.53 (as of December 31, 2023). In 2023, its net asset value increased by 28%. Power Corp. is a buy. buy. …