Buy quality assets at a discount

Article Excerpt

POWER CORP. $35 is a buy. The conglomerate’s (Toronto symbol POW; Conservative-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 667.1 million; Market cap: $23.3 billion; Dividend yield: 6.0%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.powercorporation.com) primary investments are controlling stakes in Great-West Lifeco, IGM Financial and robo-advisor Wealthsimple. It also owns 14.9% of Belgian holding company Groupe Bruxelles Lambert. The company will raise you quarterly dividend by 6.1% with the May 2023 payment, to $0.525 a share from $0.495. The new annual rate of $2.10 yields a high 6.0%. Power also plans to buy back 30 million of its shares (4.5% of the total) in 2023. As well, the holding company’s shares trade at a discount to its net asset value per share of $41.91 (as of December 31, 2022). Power Corp. is a buy. buy…