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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: National Fuel Gas, Dominion Energy, American Electric Power, WEC Energy Group and Exelon
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 31, 2018 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include National Fuel Gas Company (NFG - Free Report) , Dominion Energy, Inc. (D - Free Report) , American Electric Power Co., Inc. (AEP - Free Report) , WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) and Exelon Corp. (EXC - Free Report) .
U.S.-China Trade War Set to Escalate: 5 Safe Utility Picks
Markets endured another volatile day of trading on Oct 29 with the Dow swinging by 900 points over the trading session before closing 200 points lower. The culprit for this reversal was a report that Trump was preparing to impose fresh tariffs on Chinese imports. Both the blue-chip index and the S&P 500 ended perilously short of correction territory. Incidentally, the Nasdaq is already languishing in that zone.
Currently, all of the S&P 500’s sectors are in the red over the past month but for consumer staples and utilities, which leads the pack. Meanwhile, fears that the United States has hit peak earnings are also worrying investors. The Fed’s resolve to push on with rate hikes is another concern. Given this backdrop, investing in utilities stocks, which offer lucrative dividends, is a smart option.
Fresh Tariffs on Chinese Imports Likely
According to a report from Bloomberg, the United States is likely to announce fresh tariffs on Chinese imports in December. These duties will be imposed in case upcoming talks between president Xi and President Trump fail to resolve lingering trade tensions between the two countries. The two leaders are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of a G-20 summit to be held in November at Buenos Aires.
These duties will be imposed on all the remaining Chinese imports, which have not been targeted by earlier rounds of tariffs. According to the report, these tariffs would be imposed on imports worth around $257 billion. Speaking to Fox News late on Monday, Trump said: “I think we will make a great deal with China, and it has to be great because they’ve drained our country.”
Peak Earnings, Rate Hike Worries Grip Markets
Even as U.S.-China trade relations threatened to worsen, markets were gripped with the fear that we are currently witnessing peak earnings. For full-year 2018, total earnings for the S&P 500 index are expected to be up 20.5% on 6.6% higher revenues. For full-year 2019, total earnings are expected to be up 9.9% on 5.2% higher revenues. (Read: Weak Spots in the Earnings Picture)
The projected decline in profit growth in 2019 is primarily being attributed to the absence of the stimulus provided by Trump’s tax cuts. Going by past trends, stocks suffer once an earnings peak has been reached. Per JP Morgan (JPM), stocks outperform bonds for two more months on average after such an event. Such outperformance fails to continue for more than a year after the earnings peak.
Another major concern for investors at this moment is that the Fed’s resolve to continue with monetary tightening could create a liquidity crunch. Some commentators have gone as far as to suggest that its concept of a “neutral rate” is flawed and lacks historical basis. They think the Fed is unwilling to recognize economic realities and fail to appreciate that several sectors will come under duress due to rate increases.
Our Choices
The specter of fresh tariffs is threatening to turn October into an even tougher month for stocks than was first feared. All of the S&P 500’s sectors are in the red over the past month with the exception of consumer staples and utilities. The Utilities Select Sector SPDR is the leading performer over this period, having gained 2.8%.
Investing in utilities stocks, which also offer lucrative dividends, looks prudent. We have narrowed our search to the following stocks based on a good Zacks Rank and other relevant metrics.
National Fuel Gas Company is an integrated energy company, which has natural gas assets located in the prolific Appalachian basin and oil-producing assets in California.
National Fuel Gas’ expected earnings growth for the current year is 2.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year improved by 5% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.1%.The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Dominion Energy, Inc. (earlier known as Dominion Resources Inc.) together with its subsidiaries produces and transports energy in the United States.
Dominion Energy has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 15.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 0.5% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 4.7%.
American Electric Power Co., Inc. is a public utility holding company, which, through directly and indirectly owned subsidiaries, generates, transmits and distributes electricity, natural gas and other commodities.
American Electric Power has a Zacks Rank #2. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 7.6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 1% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.4%.
WEC Energy Group is a diversified holding company, engaged in the generation and distribution of electricity in southeastern, east central and northern Wisconsin, as well as in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
WEC Energy has a Zacks Rank #2. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 0.3% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.2%.
Exelon Corp. is a utility services holding company that operates through its subsidiaries – Generation, Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd), PECO Energy Company (PECO), Pepco Holdings (PHI) and Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE).
Exelon has a Zacks Rank #2. The company has expected earnings growth of 19.8% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 0.5% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.2%.
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News
Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.
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.
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: National Fuel Gas, Dominion Energy, American Electric Power, WEC Energy Group and Exelon
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 31, 2018 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include National Fuel Gas Company (NFG - Free Report) , Dominion Energy, Inc. (D - Free Report) , American Electric Power Co., Inc. (AEP - Free Report) , WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) and Exelon Corp. (EXC - Free Report) .
Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.
Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:
U.S.-China Trade War Set to Escalate: 5 Safe Utility Picks
Markets endured another volatile day of trading on Oct 29 with the Dow swinging by 900 points over the trading session before closing 200 points lower. The culprit for this reversal was a report that Trump was preparing to impose fresh tariffs on Chinese imports. Both the blue-chip index and the S&P 500 ended perilously short of correction territory. Incidentally, the Nasdaq is already languishing in that zone.
Currently, all of the S&P 500’s sectors are in the red over the past month but for consumer staples and utilities, which leads the pack. Meanwhile, fears that the United States has hit peak earnings are also worrying investors. The Fed’s resolve to push on with rate hikes is another concern. Given this backdrop, investing in utilities stocks, which offer lucrative dividends, is a smart option.
Fresh Tariffs on Chinese Imports Likely
According to a report from Bloomberg, the United States is likely to announce fresh tariffs on Chinese imports in December. These duties will be imposed in case upcoming talks between president Xi and President Trump fail to resolve lingering trade tensions between the two countries. The two leaders are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of a G-20 summit to be held in November at Buenos Aires.
These duties will be imposed on all the remaining Chinese imports, which have not been targeted by earlier rounds of tariffs. According to the report, these tariffs would be imposed on imports worth around $257 billion. Speaking to Fox News late on Monday, Trump said: “I think we will make a great deal with China, and it has to be great because they’ve drained our country.”
Peak Earnings, Rate Hike Worries Grip Markets
Even as U.S.-China trade relations threatened to worsen, markets were gripped with the fear that we are currently witnessing peak earnings. For full-year 2018, total earnings for the S&P 500 index are expected to be up 20.5% on 6.6% higher revenues. For full-year 2019, total earnings are expected to be up 9.9% on 5.2% higher revenues. (Read: Weak Spots in the Earnings Picture)
The projected decline in profit growth in 2019 is primarily being attributed to the absence of the stimulus provided by Trump’s tax cuts. Going by past trends, stocks suffer once an earnings peak has been reached. Per JP Morgan (JPM), stocks outperform bonds for two more months on average after such an event. Such outperformance fails to continue for more than a year after the earnings peak.
Another major concern for investors at this moment is that the Fed’s resolve to continue with monetary tightening could create a liquidity crunch. Some commentators have gone as far as to suggest that its concept of a “neutral rate” is flawed and lacks historical basis. They think the Fed is unwilling to recognize economic realities and fail to appreciate that several sectors will come under duress due to rate increases.
Our Choices
The specter of fresh tariffs is threatening to turn October into an even tougher month for stocks than was first feared. All of the S&P 500’s sectors are in the red over the past month with the exception of consumer staples and utilities. The Utilities Select Sector SPDR is the leading performer over this period, having gained 2.8%.
Investing in utilities stocks, which also offer lucrative dividends, looks prudent. We have narrowed our search to the following stocks based on a good Zacks Rank and other relevant metrics.
National Fuel Gas Company is an integrated energy company, which has natural gas assets located in the prolific Appalachian basin and oil-producing assets in California.
National Fuel Gas’ expected earnings growth for the current year is 2.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year improved by 5% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.1%.The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Dominion Energy, Inc. (earlier known as Dominion Resources Inc.) together with its subsidiaries produces and transports energy in the United States.
Dominion Energy has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 15.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 0.5% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 4.7%.
American Electric Power Co., Inc. is a public utility holding company, which, through directly and indirectly owned subsidiaries, generates, transmits and distributes electricity, natural gas and other commodities.
American Electric Power has a Zacks Rank #2. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 7.6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 1% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.4%.
WEC Energy Group is a diversified holding company, engaged in the generation and distribution of electricity in southeastern, east central and northern Wisconsin, as well as in the upper peninsula of Michigan.
WEC Energy has a Zacks Rank #2. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 0.3% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.2%.
Exelon Corp. is a utility services holding company that operates through its subsidiaries – Generation, Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd), PECO Energy Company (PECO), Pepco Holdings (PHI) and Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE).
Exelon has a Zacks Rank #2. The company has expected earnings growth of 19.8% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 0.5% over the last 30 days. The stock has a dividend yield of 3.2%.
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>
About Zacks Equity Research
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News
Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.
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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.