High yields backed by steady cash flows

Article Excerpt

When picking high dividend stocks, we continue to recommend that you look beyond yield (dividend rate divided by share price). Instead, focus on high-quality companies with long histories of rising payouts, such as these four utilities (including Canadian Utilities, see box on page 74). Their steady cash flows are helping them maintain or raise their dividends, and invest in new growth projects. FORTIS INC. $32 (Toronto symbol FTS; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 196.8 million; Market cap: $6.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 3.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.fortisinc.com) is the main supplier of electrical power in Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. It also operates power plants in other parts of Canada, as well as the U.S., Belize and the Cayman Islands. In addition, Fortis operates hotels and other businesses in Canada. The company has been working to lower its reliance on Atlantic Canada. In May 2004, it bought regulated electrical utilities in Alberta and B.C. for…