Electric utility stocks are publicly traded companies regulated by government agencies. They make money by providing reliable energy to customers. Here’s a closer look at how to invest in the electric utility industry.
The best electric utility stocks to buy now
Several publicly traded companies operate electric utilities, giving investors lots of options in this sector. Three that stand out as being among the best in the electric utility sector are:
- Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK): A regulated electric and natural gas utility that serves electric customers in six states.
- NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE): An energy holding company that operates electric utilities in Florida, as well as a leading renewable energy business.
- Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL): A regulated electric and natural gas utility that serves eight Midwestern states.
Here’s a look at what makes this trio stand out as solid electric energy stock investments.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) is one of the largest power company stocks in the country. It operates three business segments:
- Electric utilities and infrastructure: Operates regulated utilities that serve 7.9 million retail electric customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky.
- Gas utilities and infrastructure: Distributes natural gas to 1.6 million customers across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, and Kentucky.
- Commercial renewables: Operates wind and solar energy facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.
Duke Energy’s portfolio of utilities generates steady revenue, regulated by the government agencies that set its rates. Meanwhile, its nonregulated renewable energy business also produces stable cash flow. This business sells the power it produces to other utilities and end users under long-term, fixed-rate contracts known as power purchase agreements (PPAs).
A couple of factors help Duke Energy surpass many electricity stocks. For starters, it complements its steady revenue-generating energy businesses with a strong financial profile (including an investment-grade credit rating). It also has a conservative dividend payout ratio, giving it the flexibility to invest in cleaner energy.
It’s worth noting that an activist investor started pressuring the giant utility to break itself into three electric power companies in mid-2021. However, Duke believes it has the right strategy to create shareholder value. Its slate of expansion-related investments position the power company to expand its earnings per share at a 4% to 6% annual rate through 2024. Add that steady growth to Duke’s dividend, and investors could enjoy attractive total returns.
NextEra Energy
NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) is one of the largest electric utilities in the country. It owns electric utilities in Florida that serve roughly 5.6 million customer accounts. NextEra also operates an energy business that generates and sells electricity under long-term PPAs. The company claims to be the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun.
NextEra Energy has all the qualities an investor would want in an electricity stock. It routinely has one of the highest credit ratings among large, rate-regulated electric utilities. It also typically has a lower-than-average dividend payout ratio. That gives NextEra the financial flexibility to invest in cleaner energy while building more renewable power projects.
NextEra’s current slate of investments should expand its earnings by 6% to 8% annually through 2023. That could power dividend growth of 10% per year through at least 2022, which is above-average growth for the sector. It could help NextEra generate industry-leading total stock returns.
Meanwhile, there’s more upside potential to that forecast. If the Biden administration pushes forward with its plan to accelerate renewable energy investment, it could supercharge NextEra’s growth potential. For example, the administration sees the potential for solar to supply 40% of the country’s electricity needs by 2035. That implies the U.S. needs to quadruple its solar deployment in the coming years. As an industry leader, NextEra would be a big beneficiary of this solar push.
Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) operates four electric and natural gas utilities across eight states in the central U.S. These utilities serve 3.7 million electric customers and 2.1 million natural gas customers. Those energy businesses generate predictable rate-regulated revenue.
Xcel Energy’s excellent qualities include an investment-grade balance sheet and a conservative dividend payout ratio. Its strong financial profile gives it the flexibility to invest in high-return expansion opportunities such as replacing coal-fired power plants with wind power.
The company believes these investments can transform it into a cleaner electric utility. Further, they should help to increase its earnings and dividends per share by 5% to 7% annually. That steady growth should give Xcel Energy the power to produce attractive total shareholder returns. Meanwhile, NextEra, Duke, and Xcel Energy are all likely to benefit from any government-powered acceleration in renewable energy investment in 2021 and beyond.
How to find the best electric utility stocks
It’s important to know how to analyze electric utility businesses. That will allow you to find companies with the potential to generate attractive total returns. Three main factors have contributed to outperformance in the sector over the years:
1. Financial strength
Having a strong financial profile is vital for an electric utility. That’s because it needs to fund the maintenance and expansion of its infrastructure while also paying an attractive dividend to its shareholders. One of the key ways to gauge the financial strength of a utility is to see whether it has an investment-grade credit rating on its bonds. That’s similar to a high credit score, suggesting the borrower is at low risk of defaulting on its debts. An investment-grade rating means a company can borrow money at lower interest rates and better terms.
2. A conservative dividend payout ratio
Utilities pay out a significant percentage of their earnings to investors via their dividend (usually more than 65%). However, because financial strength is so important, investors should focus on electric utilities with lower-than-average dividend payout ratios. The lower ratios allow companies to retain more cash to finance growth, which enhances their financial strength.
3. Consistent earnings growth
The best utilities can steadily increase their earnings per share by investing in initiatives that earn high returns on investment. For example, utilities can increase their profitability by retiring aging and expensive coal-fired power generation plants and replacing them with cheaper, cleaner ones powered by natural gas or renewables. Likewise, they can increase their earnings by taking advantage of tax credits and other incentives to build out renewable energy projects.
Investors seeking electric utility stocks to buy should look for these three characteristics. These strengths should provide a company with the financial flexibility to steadily expand its earnings and its dividend. And strong earnings and dividends help power an attractive total stock return to shareholders -- the combination of a stock’s dividend yield and its stock price appreciation.
Why are electric company stocks good investments?
It costs lots of money to build and maintain electricity-generating plants and electrical distribution systems. Because of that, governments give electric utilities a monopoly to operate in a specific region. That means they're the only companies allowed to build and maintain a power distribution system. Government entities then regulate these companies by approving the rates and fees they can charge customers for providing them with electricity. As a result, electric utilities generate predictable revenue -- a desirable feature for those seeking lower-risk investments.
Electric utility stocks also typically pay investors a dividend, which is a cash payment of a portion of the company's profit. Utilities generally offer an above-average dividend yield -- the ratio of a company's annual dividend to its stock price. That's because they choose to pay out a larger share of their profit instead of retaining it to expand their operations. The sector's higher dividend yields make these stocks attractive income investments for retirees.
