These high-quality utilities still top bonds

Article Excerpt

Rising interest rates continue to weigh on the stock prices of Canadian Utilities LTD. and its parent firm ATCO. That’s because investors can now earn comparable yields from bonds with less risk. However, they pay more tax on interest income than dividends. As well, it’s possible that interest rates will decline in 2024, which should spur these high-quality utilities. CANADIAN UTILITIES LTD. (class A non-voting) is a buy. The company (Toronto symbols CU [class A non-voting] $30 and CU.X [class B voting] $30; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 270.2 million; Market cap: $8.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.0; Dividend yield: 6.0%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.canadianutilities.com) distributes electricity and natural gas in Alberta and Australia. It also owns or invests in 7 non-regulated power plants. ATCO (see right) owns 52.8% of the company. The stock is down 20% in 2023, as investors fear that higher interest rates will make it more expensive to invest in new projects. As of June 30, 2023, Canadian Utilities long-term debt was $10.05 billion,…