This More Than 4%-Yielding Stock's Smart Strategy Continues to Pay Big Dividends

Core Viewpoint - Brookfield Infrastructure employs a capital recycling strategy that involves acquiring high-quality assets, enhancing their operations, and selling mature businesses to reinvest in higher-return opportunities, which has led to consistent growth in funds from operations (FFO) and dividends [2][12]. Financial Performance - In the second quarter, Brookfield Infrastructure generated $638 million in FFO, marking a 5% increase from the previous year, driven by strong organic growth and recent acquisitions [5]. - The data segment was the largest contributor, with FFO increasing by 45% to $113 million, aided by the acquisition of a tower portfolio in India and new data centers [6]. - The midstream sector also performed well, with FFO rising 10% to $157 million, supported by high customer activity in Canada [7]. Capital Recycling Strategy - The company has secured $2.4 billion from nine asset sales so far this year, with four sales completed in the second quarter [9]. - Notable asset sales included a 23% interest in an Australian export terminal and a 60% stake in a European data center portfolio, sold at attractive values [10]. - Brookfield plans to reinvest this capital into new investments in data, transport, and midstream sectors, with expectations of further deals in the pipeline [11]. Future Growth Prospects - The company anticipates annual FFO per share growth of over 10% in the long term, supporting its plan to increase dividends by 5% to 9% annually [11]. - Recent investments include $500 million in Hotwire, $300 million in a railcar leasing platform, and $500 million in Colonial Enterprises, all of which are expected to generate stable cash flows [13].