Fortis suspends Lake Erie link

Article Excerpt

FORTIS INC. $58 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol FTS; Conservative & Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 478.7 million; Market cap: $27.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.8; Dividend yield 3.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.fortisinc.com) is the main supplier of electrical power in Newfoundland and PEI. Fortis also owns electrical utilities across Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean, and distributes natural gas in B.C., Arizona and New York State. Fortis has suspended its $1.7 billion plan to build a new underwater transmission line across Lake Erie due to rising construction costs and interest rates. The line would have connected the electrical power systems of Ontario with those of the northeastern U.S. However, the company continues to move ahead with its plan to spend $20.0 billion on other new projects and upgrades to existing operations between 2022 and 2026. Those investments should increase its rate base by 33.8%. Regulators use that metric to calculate a utility’s approved rate of return, so a rising rate base supports…