Two picks for post-COVID income

Article Excerpt

The shares of these two suppliers of heavy equipment continue to rebound as construction activity picks up following the end of COVID-19 lockdowns. That’s also giving them more cash for dividends. FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC. $41 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol FTT; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 149.3 million; Market cap: $6.1 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.finning.com) sells and services Caterpillar-brand heavy equipment in Western Canada, South America, the U.K. and Ireland. Its main customers are in the oil and gas, mining, forestry products, and construction industries. With the June 2023 payment, Finning raised its quarterly dividend by 5.9, to $0.25 a share from $0.236. The new annual rate of $1.00 yields 2.4%. Finning has now raised the annual dividend rate each year for the past 22 years. The company continues to benefit from the re-opening of the world’s economies and increased demand for its equipment and services. Revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2023,…