U.S. push helps spur Fortis dividend

Article Excerpt

FORTIS INC. $47 (Toronto symbol FTS; Income-Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 426.6 million; Market cap: $20.1 billion; Dividend yield 3.8%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.fortisinc.com) began supplying electricity to St. John’s, Newfoundland, in 1885. The company is now the main power utility in that province as well as PEI. It also owns electrical utilities across Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean. In addition, the company distributes natural gas in British Columbia, Arizona and New York State. With the December 2018 payment, the company increased its quarterly dividend by 5.9%, to $0.45 a share from $0.425. The annual rate of $1.80 yields a high 3.8%. Fortis has now increased its dividend each year for the past 45 years. The company intends to raise that annual payment by about 6% each year through 2023. To cut its reliance on Atlantic Canada, the company has acquired other power utilities in other parts of Canada and the U.S. ITC was Fortis’s largest acquisition to date Those include its October 2016 purchase…