5 Utilities Worth a Look

In 2012 the utility sector has lagged other sectors and the market as a whole.  This is a welcome change from last year.  I decided to take a look at a small list of companies to prepare myself for future purchases.  I like the utilities sector because they sell a product every person and business needs, it's easy to find a nice yield, and they have localized monopolies.  I place emphasis on the region of the country they are located to hopefully capitalize on population growth.  It would be foolish to buy an electric company in Detroit, for example, where people are leaving en masse.  More people means more electricity use.

At first I wanted to discover attractive water utilities since I don't own any.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any water utes worth my hard earned money.  It seems they either have low yields, high payout ratios, or low dividend growth rates.  So I'm left with electric and gas utilities, nothing wrong with that.  With the utility sector I expect to get a yield of at least 4%, but have lower expectations of growth and payout ratios. 


Alliant Energy (LNT)
Industry: Electric & Gas Utilities
Region: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa
Pop. Growth: WI:0.44%, MN: 0.77%, IA: 0.52% (USA: 0.91%)


P/E: 15.92
P/B: 1.62
Long Term Growth (est.): 4.75%
Total Debt/Equity: 92.53%


Yield: 4.16%
Payout Ratio: 62.27%
Div. Growth Rate (5yr): 7.22%
Streak: 9 years

Alliant Energy is an electric and gas utility based in the Midwest.  About 83% of revenues comes from electricity; 15% from natural gas.  Roughly 53% of power is generated with coal, only 2% gas, 2% wind, and 43% purchased from other companies.  I like LNT for its valuation and dividend metrics.  It has a nice yield with decent growth potential.  Compared to other utilities I researched it has lower debt.  LNT seems to rely heavily on coal to produce power.  Over 40% is bought from other companies.  It does not make use of hydro at all, and only 2% comes from gas which is a cleaner option.  Population growth in the areas it serves is lower than the national average.  Overall LNT is a decent option, I'm not enthusiastic about its generation methods and the area it serves.  I would consider picking up shares at a price of $40.

Avista Corporation (AVA)
Industry: Electric & Gas Utilities
Region: Washington, Oregon, Idaho
Pop. Growth: WA: 1.57%, OR: 1.06%, ID: 1.11% (USA: 0.91%)


P/E: 14.92
P/B: 1.25
Long Term Growth (est.): N/A (Fidelity says 5.68% next year)
Total Debt/Equity: 111.36%

Yield: 4.61%
Payout Ratio: 63.58%
Div. Growth Rate (5yr): 14.87%
Streak: 9 years

I own shares of Avista, and have been pleased so far.  As far as utilities go this one is solid.  It has favorable valuation and dividend metrics.  I like its yield and dividend growth potential.  I do not think it will live up to the 14.87% dividend growth listed in my analysis (I took this off Fidelity.com), but I would be thrilled to receive 5-6% increases.  The area AVA serves is seeing population growth far greater than the national average which could mean more customers in the future.  About 2/3 revenue is from electricity; 1/3 natural gas.  AVA relies heavily on environmental friendly power generation sources.  50% of power comes hydro, 35% natural gas (a lot cleaner than coal), 10% coal, 2% biomass, and 2% wind.  I have read about concerns that global warming might impact hydroelectric power generation, but have seen no definitive proof.  I would be interested in adding to my AVA position around $24.50.

Emera, Inc. (EMRAF / EMA on TSX)
Industry: Electric & Gas Utilities
Region: Nova Scotia, Maine, Massachusetts, Grand Bahama, St. Lucia
Pop. Growth: NS: 0.9%, ME: -0.01%, MA: 0.61%,G.B.: 0.60%  (USA: 0.91%)

P/E: 16.90
P/B: 2.57
Long Term Growth (est.): 6.55%
Total Debt/Equity: 222.17%

Yield: 4.04%
Payout Ratio: 67.84%
Div. Growth Rate (5yr): 8.35%
Streak: 5 years

Emera is the most interesting utility that made my list today.  I spent time researching Canadian utilities and this is the best one I could find.  First of all this corporation is Canadian, which means withholding taxes will be incurred on the dividend.  You can avoid withholding taxes by putting it in an IRA or ROTH IRA.  There is a weird tax rule which allows this.  I own a different Canadian Corp in my ROTH, it is true.  The dividends are paid in Canadian dollars and will be converted to USD for American investors.  With Emera you get a lot of diversification.  It does business in Canada, USA, and Caribbean countries.  This company has been paying and increasing dividends since 1992 with annual dividend increases the past 5 years.  There have been dividend freezes from time to time, but no reductions.  With utilities I do not expect endless annual increases.  Emera generates 57% of power from coal, 21% gas, 11% hydro, 6% wind, and 5% imported.  It is trending away from coal.  I read the company is shooting for a 70-75% payout ratio, I expect to see healthy dividend increases down the road.  I will be spending more time researching this company, but currently have a $31 target buy price in mind.

Southern Company (SO)
Industry: Electric Utilities / Wireless Communications
Region: Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi
Pop. Growth: GA: 1.32%, AL: 0.48%, FL: 1.36%, MS: 0.38% (USA: 0.91%)

P/E: 17.47
P/B: 2.23
Long Term Growth (est.): 5.85%
Total Debt/Equity: 210.62%

Yield: 4.24%
Payout Ratio: 72.86%
Div. Growth Rate (5yr): 4.05%
Streak: 10 years

The Southern Company is one of the largest utilities with a market cap of $36.8B.  It is a huge regulated electric utility operating in the southern region of the U.S. (as if the name didn't give this away HAHA).  It also generates power sold to other utilities.  SO is currently building the first new nuclear power plant on U.S. soil in 30 years.  I am in favor of nuclear energy, to me this is exciting.  The reactors are being built in Georgia as an addition to an existing nuclear facility.  SO has a lot experience with nuclear energy, I trust them with the responsibility.  SO sources of generation: 58% coal, 25% oil and gas, 15% nuclear, 2% hydro.  What I like about The Southern Company is that they are located in a fast growing region of the U.S.  The south is seeing a population boom.  I like the dividend yield and the fact the company is a dividend contender.  While SO doesn't sell natural gas, it has diversified into other businesses such as fiber optic solutions and a cell phone service.  It seems to me the valuations and payout ratio are kind of high.  I also worry about hurricanes.  The last thing an investor needs is another hurricane Katrina.  I believe SO is a quality company; I have a buy target of $41.


Westar Energy (WR)
Industry: Electric Utilities
Region: Kansas
Pop. Growth: KS: 0.64% (USA is 0.91%)

P/E: 15.22
P/B: 1.30
Long Term Growth (est.): 4.22%
Total Debt/Equity: 127.51%

Yield: 4.57%
Payout Ratio: 68.28%
Div. Growth Rate (5yr): 5.06%
Streak: 7 years

Westar Energy is the largest electric utility in Kansas.  About 77% of electricity is generated by coal, 13% nuclear, 8% gas, and 2% wind.  The company is spending a lot of capital on projects to reduce emissions of their coal plants.  WR offers an attractive yield with dividends increasing faster than inflation.  Nothing stood out when I researched the company, but it seems to be a good candidate.  I will spend more time looking at WR, I would consider picking up shares around $26.75.


I added these companies to my watch list with the exception of AVA (I already own it).