Updating Power Corp.

Article Excerpt

POWER CORP. $31 (Toronto symbol POW; Conservative-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Finance sector; Shares outstanding: 417.2 million; Market cap: $12.9 billion; Dividend yield: 4.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.powercorporation.com) invests in several businesses. They include its 65.5%-owned Power Financial, which itself holds 67.7% of insurer Great-West Lifeco and 61.4% of mutual-fund provider IGM Financial. In addition, through its 50% stake in Parjointco, Power Financial holds 55.5% of Swiss-listed Pargesa Holdings. Most of Pargesa’s assets are in seven large European firms. Power last raised its quarterly dividend by 6.6%, with the June 2018 payment. The new annual rate of $1.53 yields a high 4.9%. The company now plans to buy back up to $1.35 billion of its subordinate voting shares through a Dutch auction process. Shareholders who want to participate must offer them for between $28.50 and $33.00 (in increments of $0.10) before April 13, 2019. The final price will be the lowest amount within that range at which Power can buy the…