Rate hikes offset lower gas, power demand

FORTIS INC. $28 (Toronto symbol FTS; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 172.2 million; Market cap: $4.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.3; Dividend yield: 4.0%; SI Rating: Above Average) saw its revenue fall 10.5% in the three months ended March 31, 2010, to $1.1 billion from $1.2 billion a year earlier. That’s mainly because warmer-than-normal weather hurt sales at its Terasen natural-gas distribution subsidiary.

However, Fortis’s earnings still rose 8.7%, to $100 million from $92 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 7.7%, to $0.56 from $0.52, on more shares outstanding.

Recent regulatory decisions let Terasen keep more of its revenue; that was the main reason for the higher earnings. Regulators also let Fortis’s Canadian regulated-power utilities raise their rates. These gains offset lower contributions from the company’s unregulated utilities and holdings in the Caribbean.

Fortis is a buy.

Comments are closed.