Shares of Transurban Group (ASX: TCL) have retreated marginally today after the company reported its full-year earnings results this morning.
Transurban group is an owner of a number of toll roads in both Australia and the United States. That means it operates some of the most important infrastructure in those countries, which is why it is so often compared to the likes of Sydney Airport Holdings Ltd (ASX: SYD) and gas transport business APA Group (ASX: APA).
What's more, it faces little competition – after all, no company is going to want to plant a major freeway right next to an existing one! It is these attributes that give the company great pricing power, and has allowed it to increase revenue at a more rapid pace than average daily traffic (ADT) in recent times.
Today, the company reported 17.5% growth in proportional toll revenue with proportional earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) growing 14.8%. Much of that EBITDA growth came from Sydney and Melbourne – which contributed a total of 75% of revenues – while Brisbane and the Greater Washington area recorded bigger percentage growth, albeit off lower bases.
Meanwhile, ADT grew 8% with much of that growth coming from Sydney. Brisbane's ADT grew 26.5% and the Greater Washington Area's ADT grew 13.5%.
Of course, one of the reasons why investors love Transurban so much is its dividend. The company distributed a total of $901 million to shareholders during financial year 2016, amounting to 45.5 cents per share (up from 40 cents in FY15). It's also guiding for 50.5 cents per share in FY17, which suggests growth of 11%.