Q: Fortis doesn’t seem to be getting much love from analysts, I think more holds and sells than buys? The target price (understanding your feelings about analyst’s targets) is also less than the current price I believe. I thought the prospect of lower rates would be a tailwind. What is the bear case? What say you?
5i Research Answer:
It is true that lower rates should otherwise be a tailwind for businesses with leveraged balance sheets. In fact, FTS has recovered meaningfully to reach 52-week highs recently. We think for a conservative name like FTS its performance is quite good. The upside potential from the interest rate tailwinds may not be as attractive as it used to be, but we think FTS is still a high-quality dividend payer. We think FTS can do well from here for shareholders with a potential total return of around 10% annualized return over the long-term.