Algonquin Power & Utilities
Through the investors’ lenses
Each of these investors has said in public what they look at before buying. Click a name to see how this company measures up — a tick where it passes one of their tests, a cross where it does not.
Warren Buffett 1/4
| Measure | AQN | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner earnings | $-190.80m | positive | ✗ |
| Return on equity | 3.9% | median 11.7% | ✗ |
| Debt to equity | 1.41x | median 0.79x | ✗ |
| Operating margin | 20.7% | median 15.0% | ✓ |
Passes 1 of 4. To be clear: Warren Buffett has never said anything about Algonquin Power & Utilities. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Terry Smith 2/4
| Measure | AQN | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 4.5% | median 10.1% | ✗ |
| Cash conversion | 3.28x | median 1.78x | ✓ |
| Operating margin | 20.7% | median 15.0% | ✓ |
| Debt to equity | 1.41x | median 0.79x | ✗ |
Passes 2 of 4. To be clear: Terry Smith has never said anything about Algonquin Power & Utilities. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Charlie Munger 1/3
| Measure | AQN | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 4.5% | median 10.1% | ✗ |
| Return on equity | 3.9% | median 11.7% | ✗ |
| Operating margin | 20.7% | median 15.0% | ✓ |
Passes 1 of 3. To be clear: Charlie Munger has never said anything about Algonquin Power & Utilities. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Chuck Akre 1/4
| Measure | AQN | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | 3.9% | median 11.7% | ✗ |
| Debt to equity | 1.41x | median 0.79x | ✗ |
| Cash conversion | 3.28x | median 1.78x | ✓ |
| Return on equity, sustained | 2 of 9 | 8 of 10 above median | ✗ |
Passes 1 of 4. To be clear: Chuck Akre has never said anything about Algonquin Power & Utilities. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Philip Fisher 2/4
| Measure | AQN | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 20.7% | median 15.0% | ✓ |
| Net margin | 7.4% | median 10.2% | ✗ |
| Return on capital employed | 4.5% | median 10.1% | ✗ |
| Operating margin, held or improving | 20.7% | 10-yr median 20.7% | ✓ |
Passes 2 of 4. To be clear: Philip Fisher has never said anything about Algonquin Power & Utilities. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Walter Schloss 0/2
| Measure | AQN | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current ratio | 1.00x | median 1.25x | ✗ |
| Debt to equity | 1.41x | median 0.79x | ✗ |
Passes 0 of 2. To be clear: Walter Schloss has never said anything about Algonquin Power & Utilities. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Benjamin Graham 0/1
| Measure | AQN | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current ratio | 1.00x | 2.00x published | ✗ |
| Long-term debt to working capital | — | 1.00x published | — |
Passes 0 of 1. To be clear: Benjamin Graham has never said anything about Algonquin Power & Utilities. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Joel Greenblatt 0/1
| Measure | AQN | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 4.5% | median 10.1% | ✗ |
Passes 0 of 1. To be clear: Joel Greenblatt has never said anything about Algonquin Power & Utilities. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Peter Lynch 0/2
| Measure | AQN | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt to equity | 1.41x | median 0.79x | ✗ |
| Net margin | 7.4% | median 10.2% | ✗ |
Passes 0 of 2. To be clear: Peter Lynch has never said anything about Algonquin Power & Utilities. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
| Basis | Payout | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GAAP earnings | 118.2% | whyThe dividend is set against the allowed return on the rate base. |
| Operating cash flow | 33.9% | whyBefore the capital programme the regulator expects. |
| Free cash flow | negative | whyOCF fell $178m short of capex — normal for a utility funding its rate base. |
Spread between highest and lowest: 84.3 percentage points. Same filings, different denominators.
Coverage rating 30 / 100 — Strained. ? Peer standing 0/50Direction 25/30Stability 4/20
GAAP earnings payout, last 6 years
| Fiscal year | Payout |
|---|---|
| 2025-12-31 | 118.2% |
| 2021-12-31 | 162.7% |
| 2020-12-31 | 44.3% |
| 2019-12-31 | 53.0% |
| 2018-12-31 | 131.9% |
| 2017-12-31 | 125.9% |
0% of the 57 utilities here pay out more — at the demanding end.
The arithmetic
- GAAP earnings — dividends declared per share $0.260 ÷ diluted EPS $0.220
- Operating cash flow — dividends paid $201m ÷ operating cash flow $594m
- Free cash flow — dividends paid $201m ÷ (operating cash flow $594m − capex $772m)
Where the figures came from
- 40-F filed 2026-03-06 · accession 0001174169-26-000015
All public at sec.gov — you should not have to take our word for it.
Computed straight from SEC XBRL. A number that looks wrong to you is more useful to us than agreement — tell us.
What the GAAP earnings payout ratio measures, and where every company here sits on it.
Also on: rated strained · when it files.
When this changes
Every figure above is recomputed whenever Algonquin Power & Utilities files. The monthly letter carries what filed, what moved, and one finding computed across every company here.