Otter Tail sees improvement
Fitch Ratings has bumped up its outlook on Otter Tail Corp. based in Fergus Falls, Minn.
Otter Tail Power Co. is its largest business and Fitch assigns a rating to the overall company and to the utility.
Fitch recently revised its outlook for both from "negative" to "stable."
Otter Tail Corp. (OTTR) is rated "BBB-" and Otter Tail Power Co. (OTP) is "BBB."
Fitch upgraded the outlook for both because "the stable outlook reflects the improved earnings recovery at the non-regulated operations reflecting improved overall performance."
J.P. Morgan neutral on GIS
After the recent round of earnings from food companies, J.P. Morgan analysts have updated their earnings estimates and outlooks for ConAgra, McCormick, Kroger and General Mills.
Analyst Ken Goldman maintained his "neutral" rating on General Mills after the company's recent fourth-quarter earnings: "In our view, Mills will be a solid and consistent 7 percent EPS grower, plus a 3 percent annual dividend yield … 10 percent total shareholder return is not bad; we merely see slightly better options in other stocks.''
Patrick Kennedy
