Hydro OneH.TOCOMMENTNov 30, 2016Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 10, 2026. Market Open.
People are nervous about the uncertainty out there and are looking for safety. But the relative strength of the defensives is not good. Over the past few weeks, he's reduced his defensive positioning. He's focusing on pricing power and dividend growth. Recognize that the market's showing us that there's more economic strength out there than people think.
Likes it. Decent pullback. US tariffs may not be positive for a stock like this, but let's just wait till January 20 to see what happens. Decent surplus of electricity in Ontario, which can impact prices to the downside. If you foresee volatility and lower interest rates, not a bad choice.
Not a growth stock. Pays a dividend, but not the highest. Stable company.
Hydro One is too expensive to buy here. QBR.B is in a very challenged space with the 4 well-capitalized players. Whole telecom industry is cheap, QBR.B will work over time, decent dividend.
Gun to the head, he'd pick QBR.B. No gun, putting capital into a dividend stock for 3-5 years, he'd pick neither and put money into MFC instead utilizing the Canadian dividend tax credit.
It's a Hold, not a Sell, because there don't seem to be a lot of reasons for it to go down. Catching a tailwind as a bond proxy with bonds in rally mode. Good and safe dividend, will probably grow, well supported by cashflow. Well managed. Not a Buy, as there are better ideas. He owns FTS instead, as it's larger and more diversified.
In the near term, this is going to be driven by interest rates. It had a great rally because interest rates were going to be lower for longer, and it has a very stable revenue stream which dividend investors like. All utility stocks have fallen, and the question is, have they fallen too far. He finds this doesn’t have as high yield as he can find elsewhere. It is hard to see a lot of growth on a go forward basis.