holding company

Low interest rates continue to spur demand for high-quality dividend-paying stocks, such as these four electrical utilities. We like the outlook for all of them, but only three are buys right now.

CANADIAN UTILITIES LTD. (Toronto symbols CU [class A non-voting] $79 and CU.X [class B voting] $79; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 128.6 million; Market cap: $10.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.2; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above A v e r a g e ; www.canadianutilities.com) distributes electricity and natural gas in Alberta....

H.J. HEINZ CO., $72.28, New York symbol HNZ, jumped 19% this week after the company agreed to a friendly takeover from a consortium led by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (New York symbol BRK.B), the holding company controlled by billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Heinz shareholders will receive $72.50 a share when the deal closes in the third quarter of 2013. The stock is trading slightly below that price, which indicates that investors do not expect a higher bid. Heinz is now a hold....

Biglari Holdings, $374.00, symbol BH on New York (Shares outstanding: 1.4 million; Market cap: $523.6 million; www.biglariholdings.com), is a holding company that operates a number of different businesses. Its strategy is to keep expanding by reinvesting cash generated from its subsidiaries into new investments. Right now, Biglari’s two main holdings are the Steak ’n Shake chain of casual dining restaurants and Western Sizzlin’ steakhouses. The company’s CEO is 35-year old Iranian-American Sardar Biglari, who has frequently taken aggressive stances when it comes to shareholder activism. He’s now embroiled in a fight with Cracker Barrel (Nasdaq symbol CBRL) to get seats on that company’s board of directors....

DUNDEE CORP. $26 (Toronto symbol DC.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 54.2 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.dundeecorp.com) is a holding company with investments in wealth management, real estate, resources and agriculture.

In the quarter ended September 30, 2012, Dundee lost $2.2 million, or $0.19 a share. A year earlier, it earned $91.7 million, or $1.29, mainly due to a $95.6-million gain on the sale of a resources investment. Land sales caused revenue to jump 25.7%, to $173.5 million from $138.0 million.

Dundee is riskier than Great-West, IGM and Home Capital. That’s because sales of individual investments can have a big impact on its earnings. As well, the Goodman family controls 87.4% of the company’s votes through multiple-voting shares.

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We’ve long admired Canadian Utilities for its decades of steady earnings and dividend growth. In September 2009, we also began recommending ATCO, its parent company. Due to its holding company discount, ATCO gives investors a cheaper way to invest in Canadian Utilities. However, it pays a lower dividend, so income seekers may prefer Canadian Utilities. Either way, both stocks offer low-risk growth plus income. CANADIAN UTILITIES LTD. (Toronto symbols CU [class A non-voting] $68 and CU.X [class B voting] $68; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 128.1 million; Market cap: $8.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.7; Dividend yield: 2.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadianutilities.com) distributes electricity and natural gas in Alberta. It also operates 18 power plants in Canada, Australia and the U.K. ATCO Ltd. (see page 2) owns 52.8% of Canadian Utilities....

When you select finance-sector investments, we recommend that you begin with Canada’s big-five banks due to their long record of profits and rising dividends. We then recommend diversifying your holdings with non-bank finance stocks like these four. Conservative investors should stick with Great-West and IGM. More aggressive investors should also consider Home Capital and Dundee. GREAT-WEST LIFECO INC. $23 (Toronto symbol GWO; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 949.9 million; Market cap: $21.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.7; Dividend Yield: 5.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.greatwestlifeco.com) is Canada’s largest insurance company, with $532.3 billion of assets under administration. It also sells mutual funds and financial services, such as retirement planning and wealth management. Power Financial (Toronto symbol PFC) owns 68.2% of Great-West....

DUNDEE CORP. $24 (Toronto symbol DC.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 54.7 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.dundeecorp.com) is a holding company with investments in wealth management, real estate, resources and agriculture.

In the quarter ended June 30, 2012, Dundee lost $16.8 million, or $0.34 a share. That’s because it wrote down the value of securities it holds by $34.0 million. A year earlier, it earned $21.0 million, or $0.28 a share, partly due to $1.9 million in investment gains. Revenue jumped 40.7%, to $171.2 million from $121.7 million.

Dundee is still a buy.

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p>ATCO LTD. (Toronto symbols ACO.X [class I non-voting] $76 and ACO.Y [class II voting] $76; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 57.6 million; Market cap: $4.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 1.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.atco.com) is a holding company. Its main subsidiary is 52.7%-owned Canadian Utilities (see page 103). It also owns 75.5% of ATCO Structures & Logistics, which builds temporary buildings for construction companies and energy exploration firms; Canadian Utilities owns the remaining 24.5%. In the three months ended June 30, 2012, ATCO’s revenue rose 11.9% to $987 million from $882 million a year earlier. That’s because its structures division won a number of new contracts, and it recently purchased a gas-distribution business in Australia. Earnings rose 21.3%, to $74 million, or $1.28 a share, from $61 million, or $1.07.

Companies like ATCO sometimes trade for less than the value of their assets. Investors call this a “holding company discount.” That’s why you can buy a share of ATCO for $76 and get roughly $79 worth of Canadian Utilities. That means you get ATCO’s non-utility businesses, which provide a third of its earnings, for free.

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These five electric utilities are using their strong cash flows to make acquisitions and invest in new projects. These moves will enhance their long-term prospects and give them more cash for dividends. However, not all are buys right now. TRANSCANADA CORP. $44 (Toronto symbol TRP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 704.0 million; Market cap: $31.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.6; Dividend yield: 4.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.transcanada.com) is mainly known for its natural gas and oil pipelines. However, the company continues to expand its electrical-power business. TransCanada’s 19 power plants in Canada and the U.S. now supply 30% of its revenue. The company has agreed to build a new gas-fired power plant near Napanee, Ontario, as part of a deal with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), which regulates the province’s power producers. This new plant will replace a plant that TransCanada previously agreed to build in Oakville, Ontario....

DUNDEE CORP. $24 (Toronto symbol DC.A; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 54.7 million; Market cap: $1.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.8; No dividends paid; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.dundeecorp.com) is a holding company with investments in wealth management, real estate, resources and agriculture. In the quarter ended June 30, 2012, Dundee lost $16.8 million, or $0.34 a share. That’s because it wrote down the value of securities it holds by $34.0 million. A year earlier, it earned $21.0 million, or $0.28 a share, partly due to $1.9 million in investment gains. Revenue jumped 40.7%, to $171.2 million from $121.7 million. Dundee is still a buy.