Brookfield Infrastructure (BIPC +1.11%)(BIP +0.98%) has a straightforward investment strategy. The global infrastructure operator acquires high-quality assets on a value basis, enhances their operations, and, eventually, sells the mature business. The company then recycles that capital into new investments with higher returns. This strategy has driven healthy growth in its funds from operations (FFO) and its high-yielding dividend. The payout, which yields over 4%, has grown at a 9% compound annual rate over the past 16 years.
The company's wise strategy was on full display during the second quarter. It puts Brookfield in an excellent position to continue increasing its high-yielding dividend, making it an appealing option for those seeking passive dividend income.
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Another solid showing
Brookfield Infrastructure generated $638 million of FFO during the second quarter. This is a 5% increase from the prior year. The company benefited from strong organic growth and recently closed acquisitions. Organic growth drivers included inflation-linked rate increases in its utilities and transport sector. It also received contributions from over $1.5 billion in capital project completions, primarily new data centers. These growth catalysts helped mitigate the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations and asset sales associated with its capital recycling initiatives.
The company's data segment provided the largest quarterly boost. FFO jumped 45% to $113 million. Brookfield benefited from its acquisition of a tower portfolio in India, which closed last year. It also commissioned several new data centers.
NYSE: BIPC
Key Data Points
Brookfield's midstream sector also delivered a strong quarter. FFO rose 10% to $157 million. The company's diversified midstream operations in Canada were standout performers thanks to high customer activity. This helped offset the sale of its U.S. gas pipeline in the second quarter.
The robust growth from these two segments offset relatively flat results from the company's transportation and utilities businesses. Solid organic growth from rate increases and capital project completions muted the impact of asset sales and foreign exchange fluctuations in those businesses.
Ready for the next wave
Brookfield Infrastructure has been busy executing its capital recycling strategy this year. The company has already secured $2.4 billion in proceeds from nine asset sales. "This would be a good result in any given year, and we are only in July," the company noted in the second-quarter earnings press release. It secured four sales in the second quarter.
Brookfield sold a 23% interest in its Australian export terminal, a 60% stake in a 244-megawatt portfolio of European data centers, a 33% interest in a portfolio of fully contracted shipping containers, and a partial interest in its U.K. ports operation. The company is selling these assets at very attractive values.
The infrastructure operator will deploy this capital in new, higher-returning investment opportunities. Brookfield has secured three new investments to enhance its data, transport, and midstream sectors:
- Hotwire: Brookfield is investing $500 million into Hotwire, a leading bulk fiber-to-the-home service company. This business generates stable and steadily rising cash flow backed by long-term, take-or-pay, and inflation-linked contracts. Hotwire currently has over 300,000 billing customers and a significant contracted backlog.
- Railcar leasing platform: Brookfield is investing $300 million into a leading railcar leasing platform through a joint venture with GATX. The portfolio is the second-largest railcar leasing platform in North America, with over 125,000 railcars that generate very stable cash flow.
- Colonial Enterprises: The company is investing $500 million into the acquisition of Colonial, the largest refined products pipeline system in the country. It's paying an attractive value for an asset that generates very stable cash flows.
Brookfield expects even more deals ahead. The company has several additional asset sales in advanced stages that could close in the coming months. These deals will provide more capital to recycle into new investment opportunities, which should be plentiful. In its earnings release, the company wrote, "We also continue to advance a large and diversified array of new investment opportunities that continues to grow and is driven by the digitalization, decarbonization, and deglobalization megatrends impacting our entire investable universe."
The company believes that its organic growth and capital recycling strategy will drive annual FFO per share growth of over 10% in the long term. That supports its plan to increase its high-yielding dividend by 5% to 9% per year.
Brookfield's brilliant growth strategy continues to pay big dividends
Brookfield's approach of selling mature assets to reinvest in higher-return opportunities continues to drive growth. While the asset sales side of this strategy was a minor headwind in the second quarter, it should become a tailwind as the company closes its recently secured new investments. This strategy should also continue boosting its results in the future as Brookfield secures additional sales and new investments. Combined with healthy organic growth drivers, Brookfield should have plenty of power to continue increasing its high-yielding dividend going forward.
