TransCanada aims big

Article Excerpt

We’ve long admired TransCanada Corp. for its high-quality operations and the predictable cash flows they generate. The company is now building several new pipelines and power plants to spur its growth. The $22 billion cost of these projects nearly equals TransCanada’s market cap (the value of all its outstanding shares). But they should pay off for decades to come. TRANSCANADA CORP. $36 (Toronto symbol TRP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 684.4 million; Market cap: $24.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.6; Dividend yield: 4.4%; SI Rating: Above Average) operates a 60,000-kilometre pipeline network that pumps natural gas from Alberta to eastern Canada and the U.S. The company’s pipelines supply 20% of North America’s natural gas. In 2009, TransCanada’s pipelines accounted for 53% of its revenue and 73% of its earnings. The remaining 47% of revenue and 27% of earnings come from the company’s electrical power plants. TransCanada owns or has stakes in 20 plants in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and the northeastern U.S. The company’s…