New assets will lift Emera’s dividend

Article Excerpt

EMERA INC. $54 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol EMA; Income Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 256.5 million; Market cap: $13.9 billion; Dividend yield: 5.1%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.emera.com) owns 100% of Nova Scotia Power, that province’s main electricity supplier. It also owns Tampa Electric, as well as power plants and gas pipelines in the U.S. and the Caribbean. With the November 2022 payment, Emera increased your quarterly dividend by 4.2%, to $0.69 a share from $0.6625. The new annual rate of $2.76 yields a high 5.1%. Between 2023 and 2025, Emera plans to spend $8 billion to $9 billion on capital upgrades. These investments should lift its rate base by 7% to 8% annually, from $24.5 billion in 2022 to $29.7 billion in 2025. The extra cash flow should also let Emera keep raising your dividend. Emera is a buy. buy…