Emera goes south for growth

Article Excerpt

Dear client: In the past few years, Emera has used acquisitions to cut its reliance on Atlantic Canada, its home region. Those new operations include U.S. power utility Teco, purchased in 2016. Expanding by acquisition adds risk. However, the revenue stream from Emera’s new businesses is dependable and will help it to pay down debt. What’s more, the elimination of overlapping operations will free up cash for dividends. In fact, the company has already announced multi-year dividend increases thanks to its latest purchase. EMERA INC. $45 (Toronto symbol EMA; Income-Growth Payer Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 210.0 million; Market cap: $9.5 billion; Dividend yield: 4.6%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.emera. com) owns 100% of Nova Scotia Power, that province’s main electricity supplier. It also owns power utilities in the U.S. and the Caribbean. The company’s revenue rose 42.8%, from $2.1 billion in 2012 to $2.9 billion in 2014. That’s partly due to the acquisition of power plants in New England. Revenue then…