Good time to buy more Emera

Article Excerpt

High-yielding power utility stocks like Emera have struggled in the past few years, as rising interest rates increased the costs of new projects and raised their interest payments. However, Emera stands to gain now that the Bank of Canada has begun cutting its benchmark interest rate. As well, the rollout of electric-powered vehicles and new power-intensive datacentres to run artificial intelligence programs will increase the long-term demand for electricity. These trends help cut the risk of Emera’s new projects and will let it continue to reward investors will regular dividend increases. EMERA INC. $47 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol EMA; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 284.1 million; Market cap: $13.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; Dividend yield: 6.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.emera.com) owns 100% of Nova Scotia Power, that province’s main electricity supplier. It also owns 100% of Teco Energy, which supplies electricity and natural gas to 1.3 million customers in Tampa Bay, Florida. Another of Teco’s businesses distributes gas to 540,000 customers in…