Topic: How To Invest

What are your thoughts on AltaGas going forward?

Article Excerpt

AltaGas Ltd., $37.78, symbol ALA on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 117.7 million; Market cap: $4.8 billion; www.altagas.ca), mainly extracts, processes and distributes natural gas. It also processes natural gas liquids and generates power in Alberta. Excluding one-time items, AltaGas earned $55.5 million in the three months ended March 31, 2013. That’s up 38.4% from $40.1 million a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 17.8%, to $0.53 from $0.45, on more shares outstanding. Cash flow per share gained 42.0%, to $1.15 from $0.81. Revenue increased 72.1%, to $620.5 million from $360.5 million. The improved results mostly came from Semco Holding Corporation, which operates natural gas utilities in Alaska and Michigan. In August 2012, AltaGas bought Semco for $1.14 billion, which is its biggest acquisition to date. AltaGas’s first-quarter results also benefited from the start-up of its Gordondale and Co-stream gas-processing plants, the expansion of its Blair Creek gas-processing plant, the addition of new biomass and gas-fired power-generation facilities and growth at its Alberta…