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Topic: Dividend Stocks

Green power trend fuels Innergex


Innergex LISTEN:  

Innergex continues to focus on renewable power projects. Although it has used acquisitions to expand, particularly outside of Canada, it cuts that risk by taking on partners with local knowledge.

The company’s strategy should continue to pay off as governments around the world move to phase out their power plants that burn fossil fuels and switch to green power. That government support makes it easier for Innergex to pursue new growth projects and acquisitions. The extra cash flow from its new businesses should also let it keep raising its dividend.

INNERGEX RENEWABLE ENERGY INC. $15 (Toronto symbol INE; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 133.6 million; Market cap: $2.0 billion; Dividend yield 4.7%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.innergex.com) began operating in 1990, but waited until 2003 to sell shares to the public (as Innergex Power Income Fund). In 2010, the fund converted to a regular corporation.

Innergex currently operates 37 hydroelectric plants (40% of revenue), 25 wind farms (57%) and four solar power fields (3%). Those operations are spread across Canada (73% of revenue), the U.S. (12%), France (11%) and Chile (4%).

With the April 2019 payment, the company increased its quarterly dividend by 2.9%, to $0.175 a share from $0.17. The new annual rate of $0.70 yields a high 4.7%.

Innergex has steadily expanded its operations in the past few years. To cut its risk, the company makes sure it has firm long-term power-purchase contracts in place before it starts to build, or buy, new plants.

For example, in February 2018, Innergex paid $1.1 billion for Alterra Power. That firm operated 10 projects (three hydro, three wind, two geothermal and two solar) in Canada, the U.S. and Iceland.

In August 2018, Innergex paid TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) $630 million for its 62% stake in five Cartier wind farms on Quebec’s Gaspé peninsula. It now owns 100% of those assets.

Due to the new operations, revenue jumped 138.5%, from $241.8 million in 2014 to $576.6 million in 2018.

The company’s losses improved from $0.63 a share (or a total of $54.9 million) in 2014 to $0.37 a share (or $48.4 million) in 2015. Innergex reported a profit of $0.28 a share (or $32.0 billion) in 2016; however, earnings fell to $0.22 a share (or $19.1 million) in 2017. They then rose to $25.7 million in 2018. It sold shares to help pay for Alterra, so per-share earnings declined to $0.21.

Due to higher financing costs and income taxes, Innergex lost $0.07 a share (or $7.3 million) in the three months ended June 30, 2019. A year earlier, it earned $0.06 a share (or $16.9 million). However, due to the acquisition of the Cartier wind farms, revenue increased 15.9%, to $144.7 million from $124.9 million.

In May 2019, Innergex sold all the assets in Iceland acquired in the Alterra purchase for $408.8 million. The company used the proceeds to pay down some of its debt.

As of June 30, 2019, its long-term debt was $3.85 billion, or 1.9 times its market cap. However, high debt loads are common for utilities, as their steady cash flows let them service that debt. The company also held cash of $88.6 million.

Innergex’s shares look expensive at 93.8 times its likely 2019 earnings of $0.16 a share. However, they trade at a much more reasonable 8.6 times its forecast 2019 cash flow of $1.75 a share.

Innergex Renewable Energy is a buy.

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