Parent buys back renewables business

Article Excerpt

TRANSALTA RENEWABLES INC. $13 is a hold. The company (Toronto symbol RNW; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 266.9 million; Market cap: $3.5 billion; Dividend yield: 7.2%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.transaltarenewables.com) owns 26 wind and solar farms, 11 hydroelectric facilities, eight natural gas generation plants, two solar power facilities, a natural gas pipeline and one battery storage facility. Those projects are in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. TransAlta Renewables last raised its monthly dividend by 6.9% with the September 2017 payment, from $0.07333 a share to $0.07833. The annual rate of $0.94 yields a high 7.2%. The company has now accepted a takeover offer from the parent TransAlta Corp., which owns 60.1% of the firm. Shareholders can opt for either $13.00 a share, or 1.0337 of a TransAlta common share, for each share they hold. TransAlta has capped the cash and shares it will issue, so TransAlta Renewables shareholders will likely receive a combination of cash and shares. You will only…