Pembina Pipeline CorpPPL.TOCOMMENTJul 17, 2017Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jul 03, 2026. Market Open.
Both benefit from AI centre demand. Pembina is building a 1.8 gigawatt natural gas plant in Alberta. Half of ALA's business is in the US, regulated utilities, in Virginia--the world capital of data centre traffic. ALA also has activity in Western Canada. ALA's growth rate is higher than Pembina. ALA gets the slight edge.
APO has pretty smart people, and they're seeing an opportunity here. Purchase was from KKR, so nothing much changes.
As for PPL itself, trading a bit expensive with growth catalysts of 5-7%. Nice, visible project backlog. Nice dividend. Wouldn't add here, but you'll do OK if you own it.
Still thinks KEY is the better buy.
PPL is more pure-play pipeline infrastructure. Better dividend yield. Contracted cashflow gives you earnings and revenue visibility. This would be his preference.
ALA gives you a mix of energy infrastructure (~45%) with regulated utilities (~55%). Utility component gives more stability, but lower dividend. He's not a huge fan of utilities unless they're tied to AI infrastructure buildout.
PPL-T vs. ENB-T. In the energy space these have been stronger performers overproducers. With interest rates moving higher it will be a mixed blessing for pipelines. Their dividend does not look as attractive, but as interest rates go up so are their allowed rate of return through the regulator. Look for which one has the most consistent track record of dividend increases and the best record of dividend coverage. If it is the same stock for each factor, go with it and if not go with the latter factor.