Pembina Pipeline CorpPPL.TODON'T BUYMar 10, 2020Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jul 21, 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.
Outlook for Pembina in fulfilling take-or-pay contracts with clients. That's exactly the concern behind the stock going down. That's the risk. It's like Chorus Aviation's relationship to Air Canada (though AC has a strong balance sheet and is well-positioned). PPL was trading at a pricey 20x EBIT to EBITDA. Pays a big, growing yield at a reasonable payout ratio, assuming they can maintain cash flow. The market is determining how risky that is. PPL has lost its utility-like premium and trading down. Valuation is cheaper, but it's becoming volatile. Let the dust settle before considering this.