Feature Article

Utility history is rife with poor diversification, and that appears to be the consensus bet against WGL Holdings (NYSE: WGL), the regulated gas distribution company for the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. But an A+ rating on top of an attractive yield could change skeptics' minds.

Conrad's Utility Investor has three actively managed portfolios--Aggressive Income, Conservative Income and Top 10 Drips--each of which is tailored to a specific investment style and risk tolerance. We review each model portfolio's objective, book a 60 percent gain on one of our winners and shift one of our Conservative Income Portfolio holdings to the Aggressive Income Portfolio.

The newest member of the Conservative Income Portfolio operates regulated and unregulated utility businesses and is poised for impressive distribution growth.

This Aggressive Portfolio holding remains one of our favorite turnaround stories.

TransAlta Corp (TSX: TA, NYSE: TAC) has cut its quarterly dividend by 37.9 percent to 18 cents Canadian, starting with the April 1 payment. The new level is low enough to maintain at least the next couple years. As a result, I’m removing the company from the Endangered Dividends List.

After two consecutive winning months, it’s hard to believe utility stocks had so many detractors to start 2014. And it’s even more difficult to find anyone who will own up to being bearish then or now.

In 2013, the Alerian MLP Index gained 27.6 percent. Energy Transfer Partners (NYSE: ETP) did much better at 43.4 percent, thanks to restoring regular quarterly distribution increases.

No US utility is better positioned to profit from America’s energy boom than Entergy Corp (NYSE: ETR). The company’s six electric utility units own and operate 22 gigawatts of power plants in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

Buying stocks of strong companies at the lowest possible prices: That’s been my primary strategy thus far for the Conrad’s Utility Investor Portfolios.

This month, I’m adding two stocks to the Conservative Holdings.

With large financial institutions and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) dominating daily trading, markets are as volatile as ever.

Fortunately, the key to success in utilities and essential services is the same as it’s been for more than a century: Spotting where investment will earn a fair return, and following the money to a rising stream of dividends.