Two Canadian industrials with solid payouts

Article Excerpt

SNC-LAVALIN GROUP INC. $54 (Toronto symbol SNC; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 150.4 million; Market cap: $8.1 billion; Dividend yield: 2.0%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.snclavalin.com) is a leading Canadian engineering and construction company that specializes in large-scale infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges and transit systems. Starting with the March 2017 payment, investors now receive $0.273 a share, up 5.0% from $0.26. The new annual rate of $1.09 yields 2.0%. SNC has now increased its dividend annually for the past 16 years. The company recently agreed to acquire U.K.-based engineering firm WS Atkins plc for $3.5 billion. Atkins specializes in industrial projects such as railways, nuclear power plants, water-treatment facilities and highways. Its purchase should cut the company’s exposure to cyclical oil and gas clients. They now supply 46% of SNC’s revenue. The company aims to complete the acquisition in the third quarter of 2017. However, activist investment firm Elliott Capital owns 6.8% of Atkins, and may push…