Hydro One (H.TO)

The stock suffered pressure when Ford wanted to be elected. The stock is undervalued. They are closing on a financing. They are buying a large utility in the US. He thinks this will make it a more valuable company. He owns convertible bonds on this company.

There is always a debt concern about this stock. They have replaced the Board and the revenue is controlled by the government. He is scared by the private-public ownership. He would choose another utility and avoid the potential government involvement. Yield 4.6%.

H.IR-T Investment Receipts. They are tied to Hydro 1. They issued them as part of their US acquisition. It is not clear whether this transaction will actually close. These receipts give you protection in that scenario. You either get shares of H-T or your money back. The price momentum has started to improve on these, 4.7% yield. He likes these receipts as a better way to play the deal. It should happen between now and the end of April. (Analysts’ target: $21.58).

With the Ontario government still owning a big part of this, he's avoided it. There's no difference between the old and new boards. A U.S. acqusition is on hold, perhaps out of worry--the new board has to decide whether to go ahead or now. Their transmission side is coming up for regulatory hearings next year which could be difficult.

Don't touch it with a ten foot pole. It is a mix of public and private ownership. There is a lot of debt. Revenue is controlled by the government. This one is too political for him to get into.

Always a debt concern with this stock. Market appears to have given thumbs up on new Board. Evaluations have been crushed on this stock, but now there is stability. He likes the yield on it. There is some political uncertainty with this name. Yield of 4.8%

He would wait on this one -- with changes on the Board and it being a relatively new company. There are other companies in the same space guaranteeing dividend increases going forward. He would look to other utilities instead.

It is a yield play. He sees very little growth on the horizon. PE is almost 16 times. He prefers EMA-T because there is an appreciation potential and a slightly better yield.

The market doesn’t like the uncertainty associated with this company, which includes a change of management (in progress) and delay of approval of their planned acquisition of another business in the USA. He thinks the stock is overpriced relative to expected earnings growth. It has negative free cash flow. Dividend coverage is good but with negative cash flow, he doesn’t expect dividend growth.

Their Avista take over approval is being delayed. Doug Ford fired the board and a new one is coming in. He was disappointed to see this happen. The underlying assets in the business are pretty good. There is controversy to see what happens with the new management coming in. This one could present an opportunity for investors in the future.

He does not like it because it is a bond proxy. It is interest rate sensitive. He thinks interest rates bottomed at BREXIT and will go higher from here. They are highly leveraged and got more so with an acquisition they made south of the boarder. He is taking a wait and see approach. We'll see if Ford changes the executive compensation. H-T is a slow grower and not particularly well operated. He does not know if the CEO wage is egregious. It pays to be wary of initial IPOs.

He thinks the Ontario election could cause some danger. This has been a political football for many years. There has been mismanagement of the hydro assets, which has resulted in dramatically higher rates over the past 12 years. Are you really buying a private company, when the government still owns over 40%. They have been attempting a US acquisition, which may face delay if there is a new government. Shareholders have a chance of being treated poorly following the election. An NDP government may look to purchase the privately held shares but would not likely re-purchase them at the issued price of $20.50 per share.

They have a lot of debt on their books. The trend is pretty clear here right now. Politically, you have to wait to see who wins the election. There are some issues there with excessive executive pay. The Government still owns 47% of this company.

There is limited history here. The stock is drifting. Great company. You could have a good company with a bad stock. If it gets below the psychological $20 value, you have to get worried.

Holds Fortis and Northland Power instead. Hydro One's dividend is safe and will increase. Yes, they are expanding in the States, but they are beholden to the Ontario regulator. So one bad call from this regulator and they're in trouble. Stick with it if you own it. They're challenged like all utilities due to interest rates rising.