Electric Utility Dividend Increasers

Some of the electric utilities have been declaring dividend increases this month. A couple examples are Oklahoma City based OGE Energy Corp. (OGE) boosted its annual dividend by 4.7% and Edison International (EIX), which serves southern California, recently bumped up its quarterly dividend by 1.56%

OGE provides electrical generation to Oklahoma and western Arkansas. It also owns over 5,900 miles of intrastate natural gas gathering pipelines. The stock trades at 16 times current earnings and 15 times future earnings, and provides a yield of 3.0% based on its increased payout. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 9.6% on a 7.7% increase in revenues. The company is currently subject to a proposed rate increase hearing by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission's Public Utility Division. The company is asking to raise its rates by about $73 million.

Edison International has a price to earnings ratio of 13 and a forward PE of 15. Based in the dividend increase, the stock yields 3.3%. Revenues grew by 5.1% for the latest quarter, however earnings dropped 16.5%. In September of this year, FBR Capital initiated coverage of the company giving it and Outperform rating and Wunderlich upgraded the stock from a Hold to a Buy. This Rosemead, California company has 700 distribution substations located throughout California. It has four wind projects under construction totaling 480 megawatts of net generating capacity.

Top features of electric utilities include the fact that they can generally provide relative security, safety, and stability compared to stocks in many other sectors, due to the payment of fairly high dividends. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its free list of electric utility stocks and there are more than 20 with yields greater than 3%.

Disclosure: Author did not not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Electric Utilities with the Highest Yields

Can you guess what the oldest electric utility company in the United States is? Can you even guess what state has the oldest electric utility? According to BusinessHistory and EnergyOnline, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PCG) can trace its sources back to 1852, making it the oldest American utility. In the mid 1800's, the San Francisco Gas Company was founded. It later merged with the California Electric Light Co., which was founded in 1879 in San Francisco. This was the first electric power company with a central generating station to distribute electricity to multiple individual and business customers.

PG&E trades at 15 times current earnings and 11 times forward earnings, and pays a decent yield of 4.4%. Dividends are paid quarterly. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 8.7% year-over-year on a 14% increase in revenues.

Some of the great features of electric utilities are that they can generally provide relative security, safety, and stability compared to stocks in many other sectors, from the payment of fairly high dividends. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its list of electric utility stocks and there are more than a couple dozen with yields greater than 3%.

Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) has a price to earnings ratio of 12, a forward P/E ratio of 13, and sports a yield of 5.3%. This Charlotte, North Carolina based company had a 7.7% increase in quarterly revenues, and just increased its dividend slightly. The company reports earnings on October 24.

Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (TEG), based in Chicago, operates in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Canada. The stock trades at 16 times earnings and 14 times forward earnings. The stock pays a yield of 5.7%. Unfortunately, earnings for the latest quarter were down 63% on flat revenues.

If you want a free list of top yielding utilities, you can access a downloadable database of high yield electric utility stocks at WSNN.com, including a couple which yield more than 6%.

Disclosure: Author did not not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Rate Increases for High Yield Electric Utilities

The number one choice of income investors is utility stocks, especially electric utilities. What electric stocks might give you the biggest charge for your portfolio? One area that investors should look at are the companies that are receiving rate increases, such as the 2.2 percent rate hike for Hawaiian Electric (HE) and the $172 million a year that Ameren (AEE) will receive through its Ameren Missouri division.

WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its list of electric utility stocks and there are over 25 with yields in excess of 3%. Hawaiian Electric and Ameren made the list of the top ten, in terms of yield. These stocks can usually provide relative security, safety, and stability compared to stocks in many other sectors, through the payment of fairly high dividends.

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. (HE), the largest supplier of electricity in the state of Hawaii, is one of my favorite utilities (although I still don't own any shares). I like the fact that it generates electricity from very diverse sources of fuel: oil, coal, hydro, bagasse, recycled oil, wind, geothermal, waste-to-energy, and solar. In case you are wondering what bagasse is, it is sugarcane waste.

One of the nice features about Hawaiian Electric is that about 20,000 Hawaii residents are shareholders of the company. This can make it a little easier for the company to get rate increases as the shareholding residents may not like their electric rates going up but they understand that the company needs to make money and keep paying out those high dividends. The company is also involved in developing an electric vehicle industry in the state.

Hawaiian Electric trades at 14 times forward earnings and sports a generous yield of 5%. Dividend payouts of $115 million are easily covered by the operating cash flow of $317 million. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 4.9% on a 14.8% increase in revenues. The company reports August 3.

Ameren Corporation (AEE) is an electric utility holding company that serves 2.4 million electric, and 900,000 natural gas customers in Missouri and Illinois. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 14 and provides a fairly high yield of 5.2%. Unfortunately, earnings were down substantially for the latest quarter, dropping more than 30% on a slight reduction in revenues. Fortunately, dividend payouts of $371 million are significantly covered by operating cash flow of $2 billion. The company reports earnings on August 4.

For more top yielding utilities, you can access a free downloadable database of high yield electric utility stocks including one which yields more than 6%, which you can update, change, and sort, at WSNN.com.

Disclosure: Author did not not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

High Yield Electric Utilities: Check Out the Dividend Increasers

If dividend increases are indicative of a strong industry, then electric utilities are in great shape. Portland General Electric Company (POR) recently announced a 2 percent increase in its quarterly common stock dividend to 26.5 cents per share, up from 26.0 cents per share for the previous quarter. DTE Energy (DTE) also declared a 5% increase in its dividend payout. In addition, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (CPK) raised its quarterly cash dividend by 4.6%.

Summer is approaching, which means more electricity to run air conditioners, and more electricity may be consumed. What electric stocks should you plug into? WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its list of electricity stocks and there are more than 30 with yields above 3%. In addition, these companies can provide relative safety, security, and stability compared to stocks in many other sectors. In the past, utilities have paid favorable dividends for many years with low volatility.

Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) distributes electricity in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. The stock pays a yield of 5.3%, has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 17.8, and a forward PE of 13.4.

Westar Energy, Inc. (WR) also pays a decent yield, with a payout of 4.8%. It has a trailing PE of 15, and forward PE of 13.5. The company serves the state of Kansas.

Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (TEG), based in Chicago, Illinois, trades at 13.8 times earnings, 14.4 times forward earnings, paying 5.2%.

For more top yielding utilities, you can access a free downloadable Excel database of high yield electric utility stocks including one which yields more than 6%, which you can update, change, and sort, at WSNN.com.

Disclosure: Author did not not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Utility Stocks that Increased Dividends

Income investors like the dividends they receive from gas and electric utilities, but they love dividend increases. If investors reinvest their dividends, then compounding can be significantly greater when the dividends are rising. In the last couple months, a few of the top yielding utility stocks listed at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com boosted their dividend payouts.

For example, the Arizona based electric utility, UniSource Energy Corporation (UNS), bumped up its quarterly dividend to $0.42 a share, an increase of 7.7%. The stock trades at 13 times forward earnings and has a yield of 4.7%.

WGL Holdings, Inc. (WGL) is an Eastern US natural gas distributor that serves Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. The company is now paying a quarterly dividend of $0.3875 per share, up 2.6% from its previous payout. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 16 and yields 4.1%.

For investors looking for diversification, the Reaves Utility Income Fund (UTG) is a closed end fund that trades on the NYSE American Stock Exchange. The fund increased its monthly dividend by 8.7% to $0.125 per share, giving a yield of about 5.6%. This is the fifth dividend increase since 2004.

To access a free list of all the top yielding electric and gas utility stocks, which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsnetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

High Yield Utilities that can Benefit from Lower Fossil Fuel Prices

According to the U. S. Energy Information Administration, fossil fuels supply about 70 percent of the country's requirements for electricity generation. Currently the dominant fossil fuels used by the industry are coal, petroleum, and natural gas.

Many investors feel that the price of oil has peaked for now and is in a downtrend. Some analysts believe that due to the glut of natural gas and the recent major gas finds, that the price of gas will remain low for a while. The price of coal is much lower than it was in 2008. If this trend continues, investors could benefit from investing in utility stocks that use oil, gas, and/or coal as a major fuel source of electrical generation, since the cost savings for these companies should pass through to the bottom line. According to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are around 30 electric utilities with yields above 4%. Many of these companies use fossil fuels as a significant source of fuel to generate electricity.

For example, Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (PNW) has one of the heaviest exposures, with approximately 31% of its electric energy coming from natural gas and oil. About 38% comes from coal and 27% from nuclear. This Phoenix, Arizona based electric utility trades at 14 times earnings and provides a generous yield of 5%. Earnings for the quarter ending September 30 were up 25%. The company reports its latest earnings February 18.

OGE Energy Corp. (OGE) has 38% of its energy coming from natural gas, with 60% from coal. The company serves the south central United States. The stock has a price to earnings ratio of 15 and a yield of 3.3%. Earnings for the quarter ending September 30 were up 19%. The company reports its latest earnings February 17.

Westar Energy Inc. (WR) generates about 7% of its energy from natural gas, with 78% from coal and 14% from nuclear. This utility, which serves Kansas, has a PE of 13.8 and a yield of 4.8%.

If you like utility stocks, you can find a free Excel database of utility stocks, which you can download, update and sort, at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Get a Charge Out of High Yield Electric Utilities

There are many factors affecting the revenues and earnings of electric utilities. The sway of the Public Utilities Commissions, the source of fuel to run the generators along with the cost of the fuel, the efficiency of the organization, growth in the area served from both commercial and residential (don't see much of that lately), and many other factors. But if investors want a simple way of finding which electric utility stocks are successful with many of these issues, one way is to check and see if the companies have increased their dividend.

One example is OGE Energy Corp. (OGE), which pays one of the lowest yields of the top 30 electric utilities at 3.3% but has been increasing its dividend over time, providing annual increases since 2006. The company announced this month that it is increasing its annual dividend to $1.50 per share from $1.45 per share, effective the first quarter of 2011. OGE, which provides electricity in Oklahoma and western Arkansas, trades at 15 times forward earnings.

DPL Inc. (DPL) is another utility with a rising track record, increasing the quarterly dividend from $0.3025 to $0.3325 per common share this month, giving the stock a great CD beating yield of 4.6%. Dividends has risen every year since 2003. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 10.8.

Edison International (EIX) also announced an increase in the annual dividend, from $1.26 per share to $1.28 per share. Dividends have been boosted since 2004. The stock trades at 12.8 times forward earnings and pays a yield of 3.3%.

To see a free Excel list of all the top yield electric utility stocks which can be downloaded, sorted, and updated, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Yielding Electric Utilities

Winter is here, the weather is getting colder and snow is starting to appear around the country. That means more electricity to run electric heaters, more people will be spending time indoors, and more electricity will be consumed. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com just updated its list of electricity stocks and there are more than 25 with yields above 4%. In addition, these companies can provide relative safety, security, and stability compared to many other stocks. In the past, utilities have paid favorable dividends for many years with low volatility.

Here are some examples of utility stocks with CD beating yields.

The Empire District Electric (EDE) trades at 18.5 times current earnings and 12.4 times forward earnings. The stock sports a price earnings growth ratio of 1.54 and pays a yield of 5.8%.

Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) yields 5.5%, has a trailing PE of 18.7, and forward PE of 13.1. The price earnings growth ratio is 2.83.

Westar Energy, Inc. (WR) also pays a decent yield of 4.9%. It has a trailing PE of 13.6, and forward PE of 14.4. The price earnings growth ratio is 1.71.

For more top yielding stocks, you can access a free downloadable Excel database of high yield electric utility stocks including one which yields more than 6%, which you can update, change, and sort, at WSNN.com.

Disclosure: Author does not own any of the above.

By Stockerblog.com

What Utility has Increased its Dividend Every Year Over 25 Years (Actually there are 3)

When a company increases its dividend every year for over a quarter of a century, it says a lot about the company's continued strength of earnings, and it also shows dedication to shareholders. There aren't many companies around that can claim that track record, maybe less than fifty. And of that group, only two and a half are utility stocks (I'll explain the half shortly).

One of these classic stocks is the ever popular Consolidated Edison Inc. (ED), a provider of electric, gas, and steam utility services in New York City and Westchester County. In terms of yield, it shows up about halfway down the list of electric utilties at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, at 4.8%. The stock has a forward price to earnings ratio of 14.

The second utility to make this exclusive club is Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (TEG), an electric and gas utility that serves Chicago, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. The stock has a yield that is a bit higher than Con Ed, paying out 5.1%. The company trades at 16 times forward earnings. Operating income of $1.12 billion provides excellent coverage for dividend payouts of $210 million.

Now to the reason I mentioned two and a half companies. The third company isn't technically a utility; it is considered an oil and gas company. It is the Salt Lake City, Utah based Questar Corporation (STR), a producer and explorer of oil and natural gas. But it also provides retail natural gas distribution services so it could be put in the natural gas utility category. The stock yields 3.3% and trades at 15 times forward earnings. Operating cash flow of $1.15 billion is far more than dividend payouts of $98 billion.

If you want to see a free list of all the top yielding electric and gas utility stocks, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't know any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

What Sector has Significantly Outperformed the S&P 500 Last 6 Months

There is one investment sector that has significantly outperformed the S&P 500 during the last six months, and for that matter, outperformed over the last five years. You may be surprised to hear that this sector has previously been considered an income investment, not a growth investment. If you haven't guessed it by now, the sector I am referring to is utilities. That's right, the sector that includes such companies as American Electric Power (AEP), Dominion Resources (D), Edison International (EIX), and Southern Company (SO), all components of the Dow Jones Utility Index.

Over the last six months, the Utility Index was up about 5.2%, whereas the S&P 500 was down by 2.4%, a 7.6 percentage point difference. And if you compare the two indexes over a five year period, the utilities outperformed the S&P by four percentage points. The best feature about utility stocks is the high yield that many generate. For example, according to the recently updated list of high yield electric utility stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com, there are over 30 that pay a dividend in excess of 4%.

As an example, Consolidated Edison Inc. (ED), the utility that serves New York City and Westchester County, yields 4.8% and sports a forward PE ratio of 14. Total dividend payouts of $672.6 million are very well covered by the company's operating cash flow of $1.82 billion.

Another high yielder on the list is Ameren Corporation (AEE), which serves Illinois and Missouri. The stock pays a 5.3% yield and trades at 12 times forward earnings. Total dividend payouts of $368.4 million are extremely well covered by the company's operating cash flow of $1.88 billion.

To see the rest of the high yield electric utilities, you can get a free list, which can be downloaded, changed, and updated, at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com