Here’s 3 more utilities with bright futures

Article Excerpt

Utility stocks like Fortis (see page 31) remain solid choices for investors looking to lower tariff-related risk. Here are three more utilities that we feel are excellent choices for most portfolios. All of them are expanding their rate-regulated businesses, which will help them profit from increasing demand for electricity to power EVs and AI datacentres. That will also let them keep rewarding investors with annual dividend increases. EMERA INC. $59 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol EMA; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 295.9 million; Market cap: $17.5 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.4; Dividend yield: 4.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.emera.com) owns 100% of Nova Scotia Power, that province’s main electricity supplier. It also holds 100% of Teco Energy, which supplies electricity and natural gas to 1.3 million customers in Tampa Bay, Florida. Emera’s other interests include power plants and natural gas pipelines in the U.S. and the Caribbean. The company recently agreed to sell its gas utility in New Mexico for $1.25 billion U.S. That price…