We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights: Duke Energy, NextEra Energy, Spark Energy and Middlesex Water
Read MoreHide Full Article
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – May 3, 2018 – Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Industry: Industrials, Part 2, including Duke Energy Corporation (DUK - Free Report) , NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE - Free Report) , Spark Energy Inc. and Middlesex Water Co. (MSEX - Free Report) .
Utility companies are among the safest investment bets, yet they have their share of weaknesses. Regulatory burdens, weather variation and increased debt loads amid rising interest rates are the major concerns. While the Trump administration is expected to lower the industry’s regulatory burden, an even bigger issue is the interest rate backdrop.
Let’s look into the factors which might deter investors from investing in the utility space.
Debt Levels & Rising Rates
Utilities are capital intensive and need to have a continuous inflow of funds to maintain organic growth and infrastructure upgrade projects. This is essential for maintaining an uninterrupted supply of basic amenities like electricity, fresh water and gas. So, the debt levels of this industry are generally higher compared with the other industries. Low rates have helped the utilities to invest in infrastructure and upgrades cost-effectively.
Utilities generate funds from operations which are to some extent used to meet their capital requirements. But these funds are mostly used for dividend payouts. They take recourse to external sources of financing to meet their capital requirements.
The rise in Fed interest rates six times since December 2015 it going to hurt utilities. We believe that a rising interest rate environment could add to the woes of utility operators, as it will increase cost of capital, restraining their ability to pay consistent dividends. We suggest that investors take note of outstanding debts and current ratio, both of which indicate the company’s ability to meet its debt obligations.
In addition to higher interest rates having a direct negative impact through increased financing burden, utility stocks and other high-yielding equities tend to struggle in a rising interest rate environment since the relative attractiveness of their high yields gets diminished by fixed income instruments.
Weather a Headwind
Weather plays a vital role in driving demand for utility services. A normal winter and summer season assure higher demand for utility services. However, a milder winter and a cooler summer results in lower demand for utility services.
The hurricane season, which officially spans from Jun 1 to Nov 30, poses the toughest challenges for the utility operators in the United States. We have seen the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma last year that exceeded billions of dollars.
Utilities like Duke Energy Corporation and NextEra Energy Inc., both Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stocks, have made substantial investments in Florida in the last few years to strengthen their power delivery systems. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
However, despite making substantial investment in strengthening infrastructure, we have seen that it is really difficult to ascertain in advance the disruption and damage from these storms.
Safe but Limited Growth Potential
Investment in these highly regulated defensive utilities is considered safe. Even though utilities pay regular dividends and make share buybacks, the scope of capital appreciation is quite limited for investors in this space. Share prices in this sector do not jump the way they do in the technology sector, so the returns are never dramatic. The utility sector has returned 2.3% in the past five years compared with the S&P 500’s gain of 70.3%.
Competition with Bonds
These reliable dividend payers are in competition with bonds as an investment option. The ongoing increase in interest rates will definitely make bonds with its yields another attractive investment option for risk-averse investors, driving them away from the utility space.
Fed’s interest rates hikes are a drag for rate-sensitive sectors like utilities. Making things worse, the Fed might hike interest rates two more times in 2018, if economic conditions remain conducive.
Utilities to Avoid for the Time Being
We presently recommend investors to stay away from the following utilities with an unfavorable Zacks Rank. The other metrics also indicate that these utilities are not profitable investment options now.
Spark Energy Inc. currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). It saw an average negative surprise of 139.18% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate 2018 earnings per share declined by 27.6%, in the past 60 days. In last one-year Spark Energy’s share have lost 29.5%.
Middlesex Water Co. delivered an average negative surprise of 14.14% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings per share declined by 8.8%, in the past 60 days. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Middlesex Water’s shares have lost 3.4% in the last six months.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, we believe that rise in interest costs will continue to hurt utilities. However, these fundamentally strong utilities are here to stay forever as we have yet to come up with any alternatives to their services.
Changes in the U.S. administration might result in intensity of regulations, which has some positive impact on their performance due to increasing operation costs. Utilities are gradually converting their operation from non-regulated to regulated nature, which will again provide stability to earnings. In addition, the latest tax reforms have helped all the utilities across the United States, and the benefits of the same are being passed on to customers.
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights: Duke Energy, NextEra Energy, Spark Energy and Middlesex Water
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – May 3, 2018 – Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Industry: Industrials, Part 2, including Duke Energy Corporation (DUK - Free Report) , NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE - Free Report) , Spark Energy Inc. and Middlesex Water Co. (MSEX - Free Report) .
Industry: Industrials, Part 2
Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/160654/can-utilities-return-value-on-investments-amid-rising-rates
Utility companies are among the safest investment bets, yet they have their share of weaknesses. Regulatory burdens, weather variation and increased debt loads amid rising interest rates are the major concerns. While the Trump administration is expected to lower the industry’s regulatory burden, an even bigger issue is the interest rate backdrop.
Let’s look into the factors which might deter investors from investing in the utility space.
Debt Levels & Rising Rates
Utilities are capital intensive and need to have a continuous inflow of funds to maintain organic growth and infrastructure upgrade projects. This is essential for maintaining an uninterrupted supply of basic amenities like electricity, fresh water and gas. So, the debt levels of this industry are generally higher compared with the other industries. Low rates have helped the utilities to invest in infrastructure and upgrades cost-effectively.
Utilities generate funds from operations which are to some extent used to meet their capital requirements. But these funds are mostly used for dividend payouts. They take recourse to external sources of financing to meet their capital requirements.
The rise in Fed interest rates six times since December 2015 it going to hurt utilities. We believe that a rising interest rate environment could add to the woes of utility operators, as it will increase cost of capital, restraining their ability to pay consistent dividends. We suggest that investors take note of outstanding debts and current ratio, both of which indicate the company’s ability to meet its debt obligations.
In addition to higher interest rates having a direct negative impact through increased financing burden, utility stocks and other high-yielding equities tend to struggle in a rising interest rate environment since the relative attractiveness of their high yields gets diminished by fixed income instruments.
Weather a Headwind
Weather plays a vital role in driving demand for utility services. A normal winter and summer season assure higher demand for utility services. However, a milder winter and a cooler summer results in lower demand for utility services.
The hurricane season, which officially spans from Jun 1 to Nov 30, poses the toughest challenges for the utility operators in the United States. We have seen the devastation caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma last year that exceeded billions of dollars.
Utilities like Duke Energy Corporation and NextEra Energy Inc., both Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stocks, have made substantial investments in Florida in the last few years to strengthen their power delivery systems. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
However, despite making substantial investment in strengthening infrastructure, we have seen that it is really difficult to ascertain in advance the disruption and damage from these storms.
Safe but Limited Growth Potential
Investment in these highly regulated defensive utilities is considered safe. Even though utilities pay regular dividends and make share buybacks, the scope of capital appreciation is quite limited for investors in this space. Share prices in this sector do not jump the way they do in the technology sector, so the returns are never dramatic. The utility sector has returned 2.3% in the past five years compared with the S&P 500’s gain of 70.3%.
Competition with Bonds
These reliable dividend payers are in competition with bonds as an investment option. The ongoing increase in interest rates will definitely make bonds with its yields another attractive investment option for risk-averse investors, driving them away from the utility space.
Fed’s interest rates hikes are a drag for rate-sensitive sectors like utilities. Making things worse, the Fed might hike interest rates two more times in 2018, if economic conditions remain conducive.
Utilities to Avoid for the Time Being
We presently recommend investors to stay away from the following utilities with an unfavorable Zacks Rank. The other metrics also indicate that these utilities are not profitable investment options now.
Spark Energy Inc. currently has a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). It saw an average negative surprise of 139.18% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate 2018 earnings per share declined by 27.6%, in the past 60 days. In last one-year Spark Energy’s share have lost 29.5%.
Middlesex Water Co. delivered an average negative surprise of 14.14% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings per share declined by 8.8%, in the past 60 days. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Middlesex Water’s shares have lost 3.4% in the last six months.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, we believe that rise in interest costs will continue to hurt utilities. However, these fundamentally strong utilities are here to stay forever as we have yet to come up with any alternatives to their services.
Changes in the U.S. administration might result in intensity of regulations, which has some positive impact on their performance due to increasing operation costs. Utilities are gradually converting their operation from non-regulated to regulated nature, which will again provide stability to earnings. In addition, the latest tax reforms have helped all the utilities across the United States, and the benefits of the same are being passed on to customers.
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
https://www.zacks.com/
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.