Caterpillar dealers offer reliable dividends

Article Excerpt

FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC. $23 (Toronto symbol FTT; Cyclical-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 164.6 million; Market cap: $3.8 billion; Dividend yield: 3.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.finning.com) sells and services Caterpillar-brand heavy equipment in Western Canada, South America and the U.K. Starting with the March 2018 payment, Finning raised its quarterly dividend by 5.2%. Investors receive $0.20 a share, up from $0.19. The annual rate of $0.80 yields 3.5%. In the three months ended December 31, 2018, Finning’s revenue rose 9.2%, to $1.84 billion from $1.73 billion a year earlier. Revenue for the company’s Canadian operations (55% of the total) rose 17.4% thanks to strong demand for mining and construction equipment, particularly in B.C. The U.K. operations (18%) reported 13.9% higher revenue on stronger sales of new and used construction equipment. Those gains offset a 13.6% revenue decline for the South American unit (27%) on lower sales in Argentina and Chile. Despite the higher revenue, earnings in the quarter…