Key updates for dividend investors

Article Excerpt

INTACT FINANCIAL CORP. $201 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol IFC; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 175.3 million; Market cap: $35.2 billion; Dividend yield: 2.0%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.intactfc.com) is Canada’s largest property and casualty insurance provider. With the March 2022 payment, Intact raised its quarterly dividend for investors by 9.9%, to $1.00 a share from $0.91. The new annual rate of $4.00 yields 2.0%. Due to extreme winter weather in eastern Canada, the U.K. and Ireland, Intact expects to record pre-tax catastrophe losses of $143 million (or $0.63 a share after-tax) for the fourth quarter of 2022. To put that amount in context, the company will probably earn $11.74 a share for all of 2022, and the stock trades at a reasonable 17.1 times that estimate. Intact Financial is still a buy. EXTENDICARE INC. $6.56 remains a buy. The operator of long-term care homes (Toronto symbol EXE; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 83.9 million; Market cap: $550.4 million; Dividend yield:…