Key Takeaways Consumer confidence fell in August, raising fears of recession amid tariffs and weak job growth.Stocks like ATO, FTS, NWN, INGR and CSV offer low-beta stability with dividend yields.Each of the five picks shows earnings growth potential and improved consensus estimates.Americans aren’t that confident about the economy’s health anymore, as they remain unsure about the impact of tariffs. Moreover, a weak jobs report continues to raise concerns about a lackluster labor market.Although the Federal ...

Core Viewpoint - Northwest Natural (NWN) has been upgraded to a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) due to an upward trend in earnings estimates, which is a significant factor influencing stock prices [1][3]. Earnings Estimates and Stock Price Movement - The Zacks rating system is based on changes in earnings estimates, which are closely correlated with near-term stock price movements [4][6]. - Institutional investors often rely on earnings estimates to determine the fair value of stocks, leading to buying or selling actions that affect stock prices [4]. Company Performance and Outlook - The upgrade for Northwest Natural indicates an improvement in the company's underlying business, which is expected to drive the stock price higher as investors respond positively to this trend [5][10]. - For the fiscal year ending December 2025, Northwest Natural is projected to earn $2.92 per share, with a 2.8% increase in the Zacks Consensus Estimate over the past three months [8]. Zacks Rating System - The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks into five groups based on earnings estimates, with a strong historical performance, particularly for Zacks Rank 1 stocks, which have averaged a +25% annual return since 1988 [7]. - The upgrade to Zacks Rank 2 places Northwest Natural in the top 20% of Zacks-covered stocks, indicating a strong potential for market-beating returns in the near term [10].

Core Insights - UGI Corporation reported a narrower operating loss of $0.01 per share for Q3 fiscal 2025, compared to a loss of $0.12 estimated by Zacks Consensus, and a profit of $0.06 in the same quarter last year [1] - Total revenues for UGI were $1.39 billion, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.44 billion by 3.4%, but showing a 1% increase from $1.38 billion in the previous year [2] Financial Performance - UGI's year-to-date investments reached $605 million, with 80% allocated to natural gas operations [3][8] - Interest expenses increased to $101 million from $96 million year-over-year [3] - Loss before interest expense and income tax for Q3 was $127 million, compared to earnings of $41 million in the prior year [3] Segment Performance - AmeriGas Propane reported an operating loss of $28 million, slightly worse than the $27 million loss in the previous year [4] - UGI International's EBIT was $43 million, down 24.6% from the prior year [4] - Midstream & Marketing segment's EBIT declined by 37.2% to $27 million [4] - UGI Utilities reported EBIT of $30 million, a decrease of 23.1% year-over-year [5] Guidance and Outlook - UGI anticipates achieving the upper end of its fiscal 2025 adjusted earnings range of $3.00 to $3.15 per share, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate at $3.13 [6][8] - The company currently holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy) [6]

Financial Performance - The company increased its fiscal 2025 indicated annual dividend by 8.1% to $3.48 per diluted share[3] - Year-to-date diluted EPS reached $6.40[6] - The company raised its fiscal 2025 EPS guidance range to $7.35 to $7.45, up from $7.20 to $7.30[6] - Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2025, was $186 million, compared to $166 million for the same period in 2024[7] - Capital expenditures year-to-date totaled $2.6 billion, with 86% allocated to safety and reliability spending[6] Financing and Liquidity - The company issued $650 million in 30-year senior notes at 5.00% and $500 million in 10-year senior notes at 5.20%[6] - The company settled $569 million of equity forwards[6] - Available liquidity stood at approximately $5.5 billion[6] - $1.7 billion was available under equity forward agreements[6, 21] Regulatory and Rate Adjustments - Implemented $350.8 million in rate adjustments as of August 6, 2025[6] - Approved annualized operating income increases totaled $350.8 million, with $229.1 million currently in progress[6, 34] - The company implemented a GRIP filing for Atmos Pipeline - Texas (APT), authorizing an increase in annual operating income of $77.2 million[33, 51]

Financial Performance & Strategic Focus - Southwest Gas Holdings (SWX) reported Q2 2025 net income of approximately $34 million, a 22% increase compared to Q2 2024, and year-to-date net income of approximately $177 million, an 8.1% increase compared to the same period in 2024[26] - SWX is committed to a pure-play, fully regulated natural gas business strategy through the disposition of its remaining interest in Centuri[22] - SWX expects 2025 Utility net income to fall within the $265 - $275 million guidance range[22] - The company is targeting 6% to 8% net income growth and 6% to 8% rate base growth from 2025-2029[22] Centuri Separation & Financing - Secondary offerings in Q2 2025 reduced SWX ownership in Centuri to approximately 52.1%[23] - Net proceeds of approximately $470 million from the Centuri secondary offerings were used to repay debt and strengthen the balance sheet[23] - SWX no longer expects to issue equity in 2025 due to proceeds from Centuri follow-on offerings[70] Regulatory & Operational Updates - Approximately 40,000 new meter sets were added during the last 12 months, leading to a 1.8% customer growth rate[26] - The company received approval to accelerate the return to Nevada customers of over-collected purchased gas costs, beginning July 1, 2025[26] - Great Basin successfully completed its binding open season, identifying potential incremental capacity of up to 1.76 billion cubic feet (Bcf)/day[26] - The potential incremental capital expenditure opportunity for the Great Basin expansion is approximately $1.2 - $1.6 billion[36]

Core Insights - The company reported a trailing 12-month utility return on equity (ROE) of 8.3% as of June 30, 2025, reflecting improvements in regulatory progress and cost management [6][29] - The Arizona Corporation Commission approved a capital tracker program, and Nevada enacted Senate Bill 417, allowing for alternative ratemaking for natural gas utilities, which is expected to enhance price stability and consumer protection [2][6] - The company successfully reduced its debt by over $470 million through follow-on offerings of Centuri Holdings, strengthening its balance sheet and moving towards a pure-play regulated natural gas business [2][6] Financial Performance - For the second quarter ended June 30, 2025, the company reported a net loss of $12.9 million, a decline of $31.2 million compared to the same period in 2024, primarily due to tax impacts from the sale of Centuri stock [8][9] - Adjusted net income for the second quarter was $38.6 million, representing a 71% increase compared to the same quarter in 2024 [8][29] - Year-to-date net income for 2025 was $100.987 million, a decrease of $5.1 million compared to the previous year, while adjusted net income was $37 million higher than the same period in 2024 [9][29] Operational Highlights - The company added approximately 40,000 new meter sets over the 12 months ending June 30, 2025, resulting in a customer growth rate of 1.8% [6] - The Great Basin Gas Transmission Company's 2028 Expansion Project saw increased capacity demand, rising to about 1.76 billion cubic feet per day from 1.25 billion cubic feet previously announced [3][6] - The company had $356 million in cash and over $1 billion in available liquidity as of June 30, 2025 [6] Segment Performance - The natural gas distribution segment contributed $33.677 million to net income in Q2 2025, up from $27.594 million in Q2 2024, while utility infrastructure services contributed $5.771 million [4][6] - Corporate and administrative net loss increased to $52.331 million in Q2 2025, impacted by tax expenses related to the Centuri stock sale [15][16] - Centuri's net loss improved by $17 million year-to-date, driven by higher work volume under master services agreements [13][16] Future Outlook - The company reaffirmed its 2025 net income guidance of $265 million to $275 million and capital expenditures of approximately $880 million to support customer growth and system improvements [17][19] - The company anticipates a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.0% to 8.0% for adjusted net income from 2025 to 2029 [19]

Financial Performance & Guidance - NJR raises the lower end of its fiscal year 2025 NFEPS guidance by $0.05, setting a new range of $3.20 to $3.30[5, 14] - The guidance range is above the 7%-9% long-term projected NFEPS growth[14] - Approximately 65% of fiscal year 2025 NFEPS is expected from utility operations[17] Capital Investments & Growth - NJNG's SAVEGREEN CAPEX is projected to grow over 30% to $90 million - $95 million in fiscal year 2025[24] - NJNG is authorized to invest $385.6 million in SAVEGREEN over a 30-month period ending June 30, 2027[24] - NJNG's year-to-date fiscal year 2025 capital expenditures total approximately $383 million, with about 47% earning a near real-time return[28] Clean Energy Ventures (CEV) - CEV has approximately 449 MW of commercial solar capacity in service as of July 31, 2025[30] - CEV has a solar pipeline of approximately 1.0 GW of investment options for future solar growth[31] - CEV expects approximately 131 MW of solar projects to be in service over the next two years, representing over $350 million in investment[31] Business Segments Performance - For the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, NJNG's NFE was $16.2 million, while the consolidated NFE was $6.2 million[41] - For the year-to-date fiscal year 2025, NJNG's NFE was $69.1 million, while the consolidated NFE was $313.4 million[42] Customer Growth - NJNG serves approximately 588,300 customers in New Jersey[79, 83]

Natural Gas Pipeline Infrastructure to Enable Approximately 40 MW of Incremental Power to Michigan Data Center LAS VEGAS, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyperscale Data, Inc. (NYSE American: GPUS), a diversified holding company ("Hyperscale Data" or the "Company"), today announced that its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Alliance Cloud Services, LLC ("ACS"), has entered into an engineering design agreement (the "Agreement") with SEMCO Energy Inc., d/b/a SEMCO Energy Gas Company ("SEMCO"), to initiate the d ...

Core Viewpoint - Northwest Natural (NWN) has been upgraded to a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), indicating a positive outlook based on rising earnings estimates, which significantly influence stock prices [1][3]. Earnings Estimates and Stock Price Impact - The Zacks rating system emphasizes the importance of earnings estimate revisions, which are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements [4][6]. - An increase in earnings estimates typically leads to higher fair value calculations by institutional investors, resulting in stock price movements [4]. Company Performance and Outlook - The upgrade for Northwest Natural reflects an improvement in the company's underlying business, suggesting that investor sentiment may drive the stock price higher [5]. - For the fiscal year ending December 2025, Northwest Natural is expected to earn $2.88 per share, with a 1.8% increase in the Zacks Consensus Estimate over the past three months [8]. Zacks Rating System - The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks into five groups based on earnings estimates, with Zacks Rank 1 stocks historically generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988 [7]. - Only the top 5% of Zacks-covered stocks receive a "Strong Buy" rating, indicating superior earnings estimate revisions and potential for market-beating returns [9][10].

Core Viewpoint - The Federal Reserve is maintaining a cautious stance regarding interest rate cuts due to concerns over inflationary pressures from tariffs imposed by President Trump, leading to uncertainty in the market [1][5][6]. Federal Reserve Meeting Insights - The minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting indicate that most officials are not in a hurry to implement an immediate rate cut, suggesting a wait-and-see approach [2][5]. - A delay in rate cuts could lead to increased volatility in the stock market [2][7]. - Most participants believe that any inflationary impact from tariffs will be temporary or modest, and there is no urgency for rate cuts in the near term [6]. Investment Recommendations - Given the current uncertainty, it is advisable to invest in defensive stocks from the utility and consumer staples sectors, which are considered safe havens [3][11]. - Recommended stocks include: - **Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO)**: Expected earnings growth rate of 6%, Zacks Rank 2, beta of 0.70, and a dividend yield of 2.27% [9]. - **Fortis, Inc. (FTS)**: Expected earnings growth rate of 3.8%, Zacks Rank 2, beta of 0.48, and a dividend yield of 3.81% [13]. - **Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL)**: Expected earnings growth rate of 1.7%, Zacks Rank 2, beta of 0.37, and a dividend yield of 2.27% [15]. - **The Coca-Cola Company (KO)**: Expected earnings growth rate of 3.1%, Zacks Rank 2, beta of 0.45, and a dividend yield of 2.94% [17]. Stock Characteristics - The recommended stocks are characterized by low beta (greater than 0 but less than 1), high dividend yields, and favorable Zacks Ranks, making them attractive in the current market environment [4][11].