VERESEN $15.15 - Toronto symbol VSN

VERESEN $15.15 (Toronto symbol VSN; Shares
outstanding: 169.8 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 6.6%) owns and operates energy pipelines and processing plants. Its major holding is its 50% stake in the Alliance gas pipeline, which runs 3,000 kilometres from Fort St. John, B.C., to Chicago. Enbridge owns the other 50%.

To diversify its operations and grow beyond Canada, Veresen has successfully expanded its power generation business. It now owns hydroelectric plants in New York State and B.C.; natural gas-fired plants in Ontario, California and Colorado; and waste heat plants in B.C. and Saskatchewan.

Veresen’s shares yield a high 6.6%. However, it only pays out around 75% of its cash flow as dividends, so it should be able to maintain its annual rate of $1.00 a share.

We’re raising Veresen’s TSINetwork Rating to Average from Extra Risk.

Veresen is still a buy.

A professional investment analyst for more than 30 years, Pat has developed a stock-selection technique that has proven reliable in both bull and bear markets. His proprietary ValuVesting System™ focuses on stocks that provide exceptional quality at relatively low prices. Many savvy investors and industry leaders consider it the most powerful stock-picking method ever created.