changes hands at around US$2, way down from more than US$8 where it traded just over a decade ago. The dividend is not exactly consistent, and being based in Brazil means that the taxation level for Canadians is higher than with our stocks. Revenues have been pretty consistent over the past decade but have not gained upward traction, and the debt load is not light, although it has been dropping. While Benj finds this outfit attractive and ponied up to buy a whack at US$1.
What does this company do that has been around since 1952? Electricity is the key. The enterprise has 70 hydroelectric, solar and wind plants, including approximately 545,000 kilometres of distribution lines and about 2,300 kilometres of transmission lines. Besides electricity, it transports and distributes natural gas, and runs a host of related enterprises, with IT infrastructure and management front and centre.
One wild card the company must deal with is Brazilian politics. Currently, President for the second time is Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who regained power in October. When he defeated Jair Bolsonaro, the latter’s supporters attacked federal government buildings, attempting to overthrow the government. Calm has since been restored, but it is difficult to gauge what might happen next given the unstable situation.