Four more utilities for growth and income

Article Excerpt

In addition to TransCanada (see page 41), we like the outlook of these four utilities. Like TransCanada, Emera and Fortis are expanding in the U.S. These purchases cut their reliance on Canada, and should enhance their earnings and dividends for years to come. Canadian Utilities and ATCO have both suffered lately due to their high exposure to Alberta, where low oil prices have hurt the economy and power prices. However, their new projects should let them continue to raise their dividends. EMERA INC. $47 (Toronto symbol EMA; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 148.2 million; Market cap: $7.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 4.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.emera.com) owns 100% of Nova Scotia Power, that province’s main electricity supplier. It also owns or invests in power plants and natural gas pipelines in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Emera recently agreed to purchase TECO Energy (New York symbol TE). It supplies electricity and natural gas to 1.05 million customers in…