Canadian Utilities weighs asset sale

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN UTILITIES LTD. (Toronto symbols CU [class A non-voting] $30 and CU.X [class B voting] $30; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 272.1 million; Market cap: $8.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 5.2%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadianutilities.com) distributes electricity and natural gas in Alberta and Australia. It also holds all or part of 19 power plants—15 in Canada, 2 in Australia, and 2 in Mexico. The company is now conducting a strategic review of its non-regulated Canadian power generation operations, which are mostly located in Alberta. That could lead to the sale or spinoff of some or all of those plants. In the latest quarter, power plants (including those outside of Canada) contributed 38% of the company’s total revenue. Two coal-burning plants, Sheerness and Battle River, account for about a third of the overall generating capacity of its Canadian plants. In response to new environmental regulations, Canadian Utilities plans to convert those plants to burn natural gas. That should enhance their appeal to potential buyers. The…