emera

These four leading utility stocks get most of their revenue from rate-regulated operations. That makes its easier to recoup the cost of new power plants and upgrades to their existing assets. Moreover, they continue to use their increasing cash flow to reward investors with dividend hikes.


FORTIS INC....

Rising interest rates have dampened investor enthusiasm for high-yielding utility stocks. That’s because higher rates add to a utility’s interest costs and, at the same time, they increase the appeal of competing bonds by spurring their yields.


However, these four utilities get most of their revenue from rate-regulated businesses....

MCDONALD’S CORP., $274.52, New York symbol MCD, is a buy.

The company is the world’s largest fast-food chain with 40,000 restaurants in 119 countries. It serves a wide variety of food but is best known for its hamburgers and french fries. Franchisees own roughly 95% of those outlets.

McDonald’s has raised its annual dividend rate each year since 1976....

EMERA INC., $55.89, Toronto symbol EMA, is a buy.

The company owns 100% of Nova Scotia Power, that province’s main electricity supplier. It also owns 100% of Tampa Electric, which provides electricity to more than 765,000 customers. Its other interests include several power plants and natural gas pipelines in the U.S....

Rising interest rates are generally bad news for utilities like Emera, as they increase the appeal of bonds for investors who might otherwise look to utilities. At the same time, higher interest rates increase borrowing costs for utilities. However, power regulators will likely let providers like Emera raise their power rates to offset those higher costs....

ALGONQUIN POWER & UTILITIES CORP., $18.55, Toronto symbol AQN, is a top pick for 2022.

The company has two main businesses: the Regulated Services Group provides regulated electricity, gas, water distribution and wastewater collection services in Canada, the U.S., Chile and Bermuda; and the Renewable Power Group produces electricity from about 40 clean-energy plants in North America.

Algonquin last raised your quarterly dividend with the July 2022 payment....

CAE INC., $27.56, Toronto symbol CAE, remains a buy for long-term gains.

The company is a leading maker of flight simulators for commercial and military aircraft. It also operates pilot-training schools in over 35 countries and makes mannequins and other medical-simulators for training health professionals.

CAE reported lower-than-expected revenue and earnings for its latest quarter....

IMPERIAL OIL LTD., $57.49, Toronto symbol IMO, is a buy.

This company gets about 60% of its production from oil sands operations in Alberta. Imperial also has conventional oil and natural gas operations in the West and holds stakes in projects off the coast of Atlantic Canada.

Imperial’s other operations include three refineries (one in Alberta, two in Ontario) and a petrochemical plant in Sarnia, Ontario....

CGI INC., $102.54, Toronto symbol GIB.A, is your #1 Aggressive Buy for 2022.

The stock lets investors tap Canada’s largest provider of computer outsourcing services. It helps its clients automate certain routine functions like accounting and buying supplies....

Some investors look to reduce volatility in their portfolios for a number of reasons. One is that they can’t sleep at night because they’re nervous about the market outlook. In that case, low-volatilty funds may cut your your losses or even leave you with gains when the market is falling, but they can limit your returns in a soaring market.


Another reason to aim to cut volatility is if you expect you will need to take cash out of your portfolio in the next year or two and you don’t want to risk having to raise cash by selling stocks at low prices.


Below we discuss two ETFs that aim to provide investors with lower volatility portfolios....