Brookfield gains from new businesses

Article Excerpt

BROOKFIELD RENEWABLE PARTNERS L.P. $34 is a buy. The partnership (Toronto symbol BEP.UN; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Utilities sector; Units outstanding: 662.6 million; Market cap: $22.5 billion; Distribution yield: 5.2%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.bep.brookfield.com) owns 232 hydroelectric generating stations, 133 wind farms, 157 solar facilities, and 6,339 distributed generation and energy storage sites. With the March 2023 payment, Brookfield raised its quarterly distribution by 5.5%, to $0.3375 U.S. a unit from $0.32 U.S. The annual rate of $1.28 U.S. yields a solid 5.2%. The partnership aims to raise the annual payment by 5% to 9% each year. In the quarter ended September 30, 2023, Brookfield Renewable closed several acquisitions, including purchasing the 50% of solar developer X-Elio it didn’t already own. Those new businesses helped lift Brookfield’s revenue in the quarter by 6.3%, to $1.18 billion U.S. from $1.11 billion U.S. a year earlier. Cash flow also rose 4.1%, to $253 million U.S. from $243 million U.S. Cash flow per unit was unchanged at $0.38…