Higher demand lifts ATCO earnings

Article Excerpt

ATCO LTD. (class I non-voting) is a buy. The company (Toronto symbols ACO.X [class I non-voting] $51 and ACO.Y [class II voting] $51; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 112.2 million; Market cap: $5.7 billion; Price-to sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 4.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.atco.com) gets most of its earnings from its 52.5% ownership of Canadian Utilities (Toronto symbol CU), which operates power and gas utilities in Alberta and Australia. The company also owns ATCO Structures & Logistics, which supplies temporary buildings to construction, mining and energy-exploration firms, and a 40% stake in Neltume Ports, which now operates 18 ports across South America. Revenue in the first quarter of 2025 rose 6.6%, to $1.41 billion from $1.32 billion a year earlier. That’s due to higher demand for workforce housing in Australia, and new projects at Canadian Utilities. If you exclude unusual items, earnings rose 8.1%, to $160 million, or $1.43 a share, from $148 million, or $1.32 a share. ATCO class I stock…