Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp (AQN.TO)

This has done extremely well, partly because of their US acquisition and their ability to execute. As long as they continue on that path of being able to buy up things at reasonable prices and continue to squeeze synergies out of it, they should do well.

(A Top Pick June 15/16. Up 21.33%.) A growth utility. You want to have one that can make acquisitions, and this is what happened here. They made a good US acquisition and integrated it well. 4% yield and 8%-10% earnings growth.

Along with all the power producers in this space, this has seen a pretty nice rally. A good company with good assets, but you have to remember you are taking on a little more specific risk in something like this, versus a traditional rate based utility.

Emera (EMA-T) Fortis (FTS-T) or Algonquin (AQN-T)? This is a space where there has been a lot of upward pressure this year, so it is very hard to find bargains. Of the larger utilities, he thinks Emera is the best price with the best dividend yield, so it would probably be his 1^st choice.

It is the renewable energy space and power/water utilities so only one side of the business is regulated. There are a lot more acquisitions yet to come. The dividend will continue to grow and there are organic growth prospects. It is a little pricey so buy it on dips.

The longer term chart does not show a big pull back. It is overbought and pulling back as usual. It looks good, but could pull back to $13.

He used to own it and did well, but now it is pretty standard. It has gone so much up from where he sold it and he is weary of it. It pays a nice dividend.

A utility stock? This has run up a lot, and he wouldn’t expect the same rate of return on a go forward basis. About half of this is power generation with about half being distribution. They have invested significant capital in the generation business.

Algonquin Power (AQN-T), AT&T (T-N) or Enbridge (ENF-T)? Of these 3, he would certainly go with AT&T. It is part of the S&P 500, which he is very bullish on, as well as the US$.

This just had a gorgeous breakout about a month ago, and it has continued to going higher. Technically, it is distinctly in an upward trend. You would like to see it come back to the $12.50 level, but it has very strong momentum. Historically, the utility stocks in general do very, very well in the summer. The odds are pretty slim that it will have that pullback.

More or less a utility in infrastructure. A 3^rd of revenue comes from wind power, so they are involved in the distribution of electricity, generation, and have some power producers both in the US and Canada. He likes the name. If you are a retiree, it is a decent company to own.

This has done a little better pricewise in the last 6 months or so. Made some acquisitions in the US that, in the longer-term, will work out well for them. Good yield.

(A Top Pick March 13/17. Up 9%.) This has been a long-term gem, and he still likes it. Dividend yield of 4%.

A lot of people were looking for yield names, and a lot of names became too popular. This one came on the radar screen, and a lot of people bought it. The performance has been good. Most analysts feel that the distribution will continue to rise. If it’s an overweight in your portfolio, take some money off the table. 4.7% dividend yield.

These kinds of stocks have come to trade on Enterprise Value to EBITDA, which takes in the pre-tax earnings, but is really a measure of cash flow and debt, which is a better measure. He likes this company, but this is not the best entry point. The high $12 would be an OK entry point.