Stocks / Equity Markets

Transactions (April 2015)

Chesapeake Utilities agreed to acquire Gatherco for $59.2 million, merging it into wholly-owned subsidiary Aspire Energy of Ohio; Canadian Solar agreed with Sharp Corp. to acquire Recurrent Energy for $265 million; Iberdrola USA agreed to acquire UIL Holdings and create a newly listed U.S. publicly-traded company with a rate base of approximately $8.3 billion; Plus debt offerings from Williams Partners and Cheniere Energy.

Utility Business Risk: A Reference

Business Versus Financial Risk: Debt is thought to be less risky than equity because debt holders have priority over equity holders as to: (1) distribution of assets in the case of dissolution of the company; and (2) distribution of earnings in the case of everyday operations.

Transactions (November 2014)

PPL Montana sold its hydroelectric facilities to NorthWestern Energy for $900 million; Chesapeake Utilities sold BravePoint; Echelon completed the sale of its grid operations to S&T AG; Plus a debt redemption from Virginia Electric & Power, a private placement offering from DPL, and an IPO for Dominion Midstream Partners.

Transactions (October 2014)

Pioneer Green Energy acquires Logan Gap wind project, agreement reached for Exelon to purchase Integrys Energy Group, AES agrees to purchase equity interest in SYND Holdco Ltd., Canadian Solar Solutions sells solar power plant Goo Light.

The Fortnightly 40 Best Energy Companies

The industry’s transformation has begun. Should the F40 transform too?

(September 2014) Our annual ranking of shareholder performance tracks the long-term returns of leading utilities. But can it predict success in a transformed energy market?

Transactions (September 2014)

Duke Energy Progress agreed to purchase $1.2 billion of certain generating assets from North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency; Acquisitions by PSEG Solar Source and SunEdison; Exelon will provide equity financing for 21 MW of Bloom Energy fuel cell projects; Debt issues from Calpine and NRG Yield Operating.

The End of an Age

Survival in the new market requires embracing new technologies and practices.

New technologies are opening the utility domain to innovation and competition. Traditional utilities will shrink as outsourcing providers and competitors grow. Survival in this new market requires embracing new technologies and practices.

Five Years Later

Wall Street is back in business. What’s next for utility finance?

When Lehman Brothers went bankrupt in September 2008, it marked the beginning of a financial crisis. By most accounts, the utility industry has been a picture of stability through tumultuous times. The view from Wall Street remains bullish – despite some reasons for concern.

The Fortnightly 40 Best Energy Companies

The dash to gas brings volatility in shareholder performance.

Fortnightly’s 2013 ranking of shareholder value performance shows substantial changes, with gas prices weighing on some utilities and elevating others.

Transactions (December 2012)

Entergy Mississippi to spin off its transmission business to ITC; Calpine acquires Bosque Power merchant plant in Texas; WPS acquires Fox Energy plant; E.On buys interest in Magic Valley wind farm; plus bond issues by Nstar, Western Mass. Electric, Texas Eastern Transmission, Alabama Power, and NSP totaling $1.55 billion.