Long-term contracts cut your risk

Article Excerpt

TRANSALTA RENEWABLES INC. $12 remains a buy. The company (Toronto symbol RNW; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 267.0 million; Market cap: $3.2 billion; Dividend yield: 7.3%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.transaltarenewables.com) owns 26 wind facilities, 11 hydroelectric, eight natural gas generation plants, two solar facilities, one natural gas pipeline, and one battery storage facility. Those projects are in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. TransAlta Corp. (Toronto symbol TA) holds 60% of the company. TransAlta Renewables last raised its monthly dividend by 4.8% with the January 2016 payment, from $0.07 a share to $0.07333. The annual rate of $0.88 yields a high 7.3%. Wind power generation relies heavily on government subsidies. However, TransAlta Renewables cuts risk by selling its power under long-term, guaranteed agreements. Its average contract life is 12 years. TransAlta Renewable is a buy. buy…