NextEra Energy Partners (NEP 0.33%) continues to deliver high-powered dividend growth. The clean energy infrastructure company increased its dividend by 15% last year, boosting the yield to nearly 3.8%. That helped power 30% total returns last year, bringing its two-year total to more than 72%.
The company has plenty of fuel to continue growing, which was one of the key takeaways from its recent fourth-quarter report. Here's a look at those numbers and what's ahead for the clean energy company.
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Another strong year
NextEra Energy Partners generated $1.36 billion of adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) last year along with $584 million in cash available for distribution (CAFD), up 7.7% and 2.5%, respectively. The main EBITDA driver was the impact of new projects added to the portfolio in the past year. Those new additions and lower corporate interest expenses helped power CAFD growth.
Those results don't reflect the full impact of the company's earnings potential due to the timing of when it closed acquisitions last year. Its year-end portfolio's adjusted EBITDA run rate was between $1.635 billion and $1.795 billion, 26.1% higher than its 2021 full-year tally at the midpoint. Meanwhile, the portfolio's CAFD run rate was $640 million to $775 million, 16.4% above its 2021 total at the midpoint.
Last year, NextEra Energy Partners acquired about 1.9 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy and storage assets from its sponsor, utility NextEra Energy (NEE 0.37%). In addition, it purchased about 500 megawatts (MW) of wind energy projects in two transactions with third-party sellers. These deals helped drive last year's earnings and CAFD growth while setting the stage for continued growth in 2022.
Adding more power to the dividend growth engine
The clean energy company continued to secure additional growth during the fourth quarter. In November, it exercised its right to purchase 100% of the outstanding minority equity interests in a portfolio of wind and solar assets supporting its 2018 convertible equity portfolio financing (CEPF) with a private equity fund. It paid $885 million in cash-and-stock to acquire these interests.
The company also secured additional low-cost financing during the quarter. It closed a new 10-year, $820 million CEPF to help support the acquisition of a 50% interest in 2.52 GW of renewable energy projects and 115 MW of storage assets from NextEra.
These deals enhanced the company's 2022 growth outlook. It currently expects to end the year with an EBITDA run-rate between $1.775 billion and $1.975 billion and a CAFD run-rate of $675 million to $765 million. That implies growth at the midpoint of 9.3% for EBITDA and 5.9% for CAFD.
This forecast supports NextEra Energy Partners' view that it can grow its dividend by another 12% to 15% this year while maintaining a dividend payout ratio in the low-80% range. Meanwhile, it believes it can continue growing the dividend at the pace through at least 2024.
Two factors support that longer-term dividend growth forecast. First, it has an abundance of acquisition opportunities. NextEra Energy alone has a vast portfolio of clean energy assets it can drop down to the partnership to help fund its extensive development pipeline. In addition, NextEra Energy Partners can purchase additional assets from third-party sellers. Meanwhile, the company continues to secure attractive financing to support its growth. Institutional investors like private equity funds continue to provide low-cost CEPF vehicles to close acquisitions. That enables the company to time the market to issue equity and retire this funding with less dilution to existing investors.
A powerful dividend growth stock
NextEra Energy Partners continues to offer investors the best of both worlds: income and growth. That makes it an excellent option for investors seeking a fast-rising passive income stream powered by clean energy.
