Emera goes big in U.S.

Article Excerpt

EMERA INC. $42 (Toronto symbol EMA; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 145.3 million; Market cap: $6.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 4.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www. emera.com) is buying Teco Energy (New York symbol TE), which supplies electricity and natural gas to 1.05 million customers in Tampa Bay, Florida and surrounding areas. A separate subsidiary distributes gas to 510,000 customers in New Mexico. This a big purchase for Emera, which will pay $6.5 billion U.S. in cash. If you include Teco’s debt, the deal is worth $10.4 billion U.S., or 2.3 times Emera’s current market cap. After Emera completes the purchase in mid-2016, it will have $20 billion U.S. of assets (56% in Florida, 23% in Canada, 10% in New England, 6% in New Mexico and 5% in the Caribbean). Regulated utilities will provide 80% of the combined company’s earnings. To help pay for Teco, Emera will sell up to $2.2 billion (Canadian) worth of convertible debentures. Holders…