Algonquin ups its dividend

Article Excerpt

ALGONQUIN POWER & UTILITIES $11.40 (Toronto symbol AQN; Shares outstanding: 273.3 million; Market cap: $3.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 5.4%; www.algonquinpower.com) recently completed its purchase of Empire District Electric Co. for $3.2 billion. That amount is more than the company’s current market cap of $3.1 billion. Based in Missouri, Empire District serves 218,000 customers through eight power plants. Growth by acquisition adds risk for Algonquin, but the company cuts that risk by buying profitable utilities. In the case of Empire District, customer rates are set by utility regulators. That guarantees profits for power providers. Thanks to the extra cash flow from Empire District, Algonquin will raise its quarterly dividend 10%, starting April 2017. The new payout will be $0.1165 U.S. a share, up from the current $0.1059. The new annual rate of $0.466 U.S. yields 5.4%. Algonquin Power & Utilities is a buy. buy…