Two Power family members: 1 buy & 1 hold

Article Excerpt

These two businesses of Power Financial are leaders in their respective industries. That cuts the risk for each and lets them both pay high, sustainable dividends. Still, for new buying, we prefer IGM over Great-West. GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $35 (Toronto symbol GWO; Conservative-Growth Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 989.8 million; Market cap: $34.6 billion; Dividend Yield: 4.2%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is Canada’s second-largest insurance company, after Manulife Financial (Toronto symbol MFC). It also offers mutual funds and wealth management services. Power Financial (Toronto symbol PWF) owns 67.6% of the company. With the March 2017 payment, Great-West raised its quarterly dividend by 6.1%, to $0.367 a share from $0.346. The new annual rate of $1.47 yields 4.2%. In April 2017, the insurer announced a plan to restructure its Canadian operations. The strategy includes shrinking its workforce by 13% over the next two years and selling some real estate. It also aims to offer more of its products online. The plan…