Updates on Safety-Conscious Stocks

Article Excerpt

TRANSCANADA CORPORATION $37 (Toronto symbol TRP; SI Rating: Above average) has raised $1.7 billion in an issue of common shares. The company will use the cash to fund its $3.4 billion U.S. purchase of natural gas pipelines and storage facilities in Texas and several midwestern states. Dilution fears have hurt the stock in the past few weeks. The extra shares will cut the company’s 2007 earnings by roughly $0.05 a share; TransCanada earned $1.90 a share in 2006, excluding unusual items. But the steady cash flow from these new assets will help offset the dilution. TransCanada also received regulatory approval for a crucial part of its Keystone pipeline project, which would transport crude oil from Alberta to the U.S. Midwest. Keystone will cut TransCanada’s reliance on gas pipelines, and help it take advantage of expanding production in Alberta’s oil sands region. TransCanada is still a safety-conscious buy. BCE INC. $31 (Toronto symbol BCE; SI Rating: Above-Average) reported 4.3% lower ongoing earnings in the three…