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Brookfield Renewable (NYSE: BEP)(NYSE: BEPC) has an exceptional record of growing value for its investors. The leading global renewable energy producer has grown its funds from operations (FFO) at a 12% compound annual rate since 2016. Meanwhile, it has delivered 6% compound annual growth in its dividends per share since 2001. That has helped power an 11.3% average annual total return over the last 10 years.
The company could produce an even more powerful total return in the future. Here are three reasons investors should back up the truck and buy the renewable energy stock like there's no tomorrow right now.
A powerful passive income stream
Brookfield Infrastructure's attractive and growing dividend is a significant part of its value proposition. The company currently offers a dividend yield above 4.5%. That's several times higher than the S&P 500's sub-1.5% dividend yield.
That high-yielding dividend is on a very sustainable foundation. Brookfield generates very stable cash flow, with 90% coming from long-term, fixed-rate power purchase agreements (PPAs). The company pays a conservative portion of its stable cash flow in dividends, with 74% of its FFO in the first half of this year. That provides it with a cushion while allowing it to retain cash for other uses. Brookfield also has a strong investment-grade balance sheet with lots of liquidity, which further enhances its financial flexibility.
The company expects to grow its dividend by 5% to 9% annually. It has delivered at least 5% annual dividend growth for 13 straight years.
A high-powered growth profile
Brookfield Renewable can easily support its dividend growth plan. The company has highly visible and secured growth through 2029. It also has increasing visibility into its secured growth through 2034. It expects to deliver 10%-plus annual FFO per share growth during that timeframe.
Four factors power that view:
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Inflation escalation: About 70% of Brookfield's PPAs index revenue to inflation. That drives the company's expectation that inflation escalation will add 2% to 3% to its FFO per share each year.
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Margin enhancement: Brookfield expects to lock in higher market prices as legacy PPAs expire. It has 6,000 gigawatt (GW) hours of capacity available for recontracting over the next five years, which could add up to $100 million in additional FFO, or about 2%, to its tally each year. Add in other margin enhancement activities like providing ancillary services, and this catalyst could boost its FFO per share by 2% to 4% annually.
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Development pipeline: The company has a massive development pipeline, with over 200 GWs of projects in various stages. It expects to deliver an average of 10 GW of new capacity annually through the end of the decade. Those investments should increase its FFO per share by 4% to 6% per year.
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M&A activities: Brookfield has an excellent record of making accretive acquisitions. It routinely recycles capital, selling mature assets to fund higher-returning new investments -- for example, recycling Saeta Yield and Hydro One into Neoen. M&A activities can further enhance its FFO per share growth rate.