Utilities still appealing despite rising rates

Article Excerpt

Share prices for these four power producers have dropped recently. That’s mainly because rising interest rates have increased the appeal of bonds for income-seeking investors. As well, higher interest rates will make it more expensive for utilities to refinance their own outstanding bonds. However, all four of these utilities get most of their cash flow from rate-regulated businesses, so they should be able to pass on any higher costs to their customers. That should, in turn, let them continue to raise their dividends. CANADIAN UTILITIES LTD. (Toronto symbols CU [class A non-voting] $32 and CU.X [class B voting] $32; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 271.6 million; Market cap: $8.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 4.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadianutilities.com) distributes electricity and natural gas in Alberta and Australia. It also owns or invests in 18 power plants—15 in Canada, 2 in Australia and 1 in Mexico. ATCO Ltd. (see right) owns 52.5% of the company. In December 2017, Canadian Utilities transferred its 24.5% stake in…