Topic: How To Invest

Dividend Advisor Hotline – Friday, September 22, 2017

Article Excerpt

WESTJET AIRLINES LTD., $26.92, Toronto symbol WJA, last raised its dividend by 16.7% with the March 2015 payment, to $0.14 a share from $0.12. The annual rate of $0.56 yields 2.1%. The stock is up over 20% since mid-June. That’s largely because of increased passenger numbers. WestJet carried a record-setting 2.3 million passengers in August 2017. That’s an increase of 13.8% from 2.0 million a year earlier. It also includes a new single-day record, set on August 8, for flying 81,423 guests. The carrier’s load factor jumped in August, to 90.6% from 86.5%. Load factor is the percentage of available seats that are occupied by paying passengers. The gain came despite a 5.6% increase in capacity. WestJet’s launch of nonstop flights to London, England, and new sun destinations contributed to the capacity gain. Demand for the company’s flights remains high, and WestJet continues to enter into new partnerships with other airlines. Its regional air carrier, WestJet Encore, has also performed well and continues to expand its…