Core Insights - Alliant Energy (LNT) is positioned to potentially continue its earnings-beat streak in upcoming reports, particularly within the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry [1] - The company has a history of beating earnings estimates, with an average surprise of 3.27% over the last two quarters [1] Earnings Performance - In the last reported quarter, Alliant Energy achieved earnings of $0.70 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.68 per share, resulting in a surprise of 2.94% [2] - In the previous quarter, the company reported earnings of $1.15 per share against an expected $1.11 per share, delivering a surprise of 3.60% [2] Earnings Estimates and Predictions - Estimates for Alliant Energy have been trending higher, influenced by its history of earnings surprises [5] - The stock currently has a positive Zacks Earnings ESP of +3.57%, indicating increased analyst optimism regarding its near-term earnings potential [8] - The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank 3 (Hold) suggests a strong possibility of another earnings beat [8] Statistical Insights - Research indicates that stocks with a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of 3 or better have a nearly 70% chance of producing a positive surprise [6] - The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, with the Most Accurate Estimate reflecting the latest analyst revisions [7]

Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Portland General Electric (POR) , which belongs to the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry, could be a great candidate to consider.This electric utility has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 3.69%.For the most recent quarter, Port ...

Company Overview - Unitil (UTL) is a utility company headquartered in Hampton, which has experienced a price change of 8.36% this year [3] - The company currently pays a dividend of $0.45 per share, resulting in a dividend yield of 3.07%, which is higher than the Utility - Electric Power industry's yield of 3.05% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.69% [3] Dividend Performance - Unitil's annualized dividend of $1.80 has increased by 5.9% from the previous year [4] - Over the past five years, Unitil has raised its dividend five times, achieving an average annual increase of 3.51% [4] - The current payout ratio for Unitil is 58%, indicating that the company pays out 58% of its trailing 12-month earnings per share as dividends [4] Earnings Growth Expectations - For the fiscal year 2025, the Zacks Consensus Estimate projects earnings of $3.08 per share, reflecting a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 3.70% [5] Investment Considerations - Dividends are favored by investors for various reasons, including improving stock investing profits and providing tax advantages [6] - It is noted that high-yielding stocks may face challenges during periods of rising interest rates, yet UTL is considered a compelling investment opportunity due to its strong dividend profile [7] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), indicating a neutral outlook [7]

The market expects Portland General Electric (POR) to deliver a year-over-year decline in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended March 2025. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to ...

For Immediate ReleasesChicago, IL – April 15, 2025 – 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 PPL Corp. (PPL) , Xcel Energy (XEL) and American Electric Power (AEP) Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:PPL Corp. shares have rallied 9.4% in the last six months against the Zacks Utility-Electric Power indu ...

Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a met ...

NextEra Energy (NEE) and Dominion Energy (D) are two of the most prominent utility companies in the United States. Both companies continue to invest millions of dollars in strengthening their infrastructure and adding more renewable energy assets to their generation portfolio. NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy’s focus on strengthening infrastructure is enhancing grid resilience, ensuring the stability of power supply even during extreme weather events. These companies also make strategic acquisitions to ex ...

All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and of course, dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend ...

Company Performance - Duke Energy's stock closed at $121.07, reflecting a -0.74% change from the previous day, underperforming the S&P 500's gain of 0.38% [1] - Over the past month, Duke Energy shares have increased by 2.78%, while the Utilities sector rose by 1.62% and the S&P 500 declined by 5.59% [1] Earnings Projections - Duke Energy is expected to report earnings of $1.60 per share, indicating a year-over-year growth of 11.11%, with projected revenue of $7.98 billion, a 4% increase from the same quarter last year [2] - For the entire fiscal year, earnings are projected at $6.32 per share and revenue at $31.72 billion, representing increases of +7.12% and +4.48% respectively from the prior year [3] Analyst Estimates and Rankings - Recent changes to analyst estimates for Duke Energy suggest a positive outlook, as revisions often reflect short-term business trends [4] - The Zacks Rank system currently rates Duke Energy at 4 (Sell), with a slight decline of 0.07% in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate over the past month [6] Valuation Metrics - Duke Energy has a Forward P/E ratio of 19.29, which is higher than the industry average of 18.59 [7] - The company has a PEG ratio of 3.05, compared to the industry average PEG ratio of 2.79 [7] Industry Context - The Utility - Electric Power industry ranks in the top 24% of all industries, with a Zacks Industry Rank of 58 [8] - Research indicates that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [8]

Another notable valuation metric for AES is its P/B ratio of 1.15. The P/B is a method of comparing a stock's market value to its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, NEE has a P/B of 2.41. These are just a few of the metrics contributing to AES's Value grade of A and NEE's Value grade of D. AES stands above NEE thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that AES is the superior value option right now. Value invest ...