Spinoff spotlight: Algonquin Power & Utilities

Article Excerpt

ALGONQUIN POWER & UTILITIES CORP. $11 is a buy. The company (Toronto symbol AQN; Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 688.6 million; Market cap: $7.6 billion; Dividend yield: 5.0%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.algonquinpower.com) has two main businesses: the Regulated Services Group provides regulated electricity, gas, water distribution and wastewater collection services in Canada, the U.S., Chile and Bermuda; and the Renewable Power Group produces electricity from about 40 clean-energy plants in North America. Due to opposition from U.S. regulators, Algonquin recently cancelled its deal to buy Kentucky Power Co., which generates and distributes electricity to 228,000 customers in Kentucky. The company did not have to pay a termination fee. Meantime, Algonquin still plans to sell $1 billion U.S. of its less-important assets. That will let it pay down its long-term debt of $7.33 billion U.S. (as of March 31, 2022). That’s a high 1.3 times its market cap. Algonquin is also conducting a strategic review of its unregulated renewable power operations. That could lead to the sale or…