Swing Trade Idea – August 31, 2022
Metro Detroiters have been dealing with a major power outage this week!
Investors and traders can use events happening in and around their lives as an opportunity to do some research and get some education they might not normally have explored.
As such, let’s take a look at the major publicly-traded utilities companies in the United States…
- DTE Energy (DTE) – The electricity and gas provider for much of metro Detroit and its about 4 million residents. About 50% of the power generated by DTE comes from coal, about 20% comes from nuclear and about 17% comes from natural gas. The stock’s dividend yield is around 3%.
- PG&E Corp. (PCG) – The electric and gas provider for middle and northern California. While many utilities stocks are viewed as stable investments, PG&E recently showed investors a dramatic example of the potential downside related to investments in utilities companies: concerns with the safety of a utilities equipment and its impact on the natural environment. Shares fell from around the $70 level in 2017 to around the $10 level by 2019 following the utilities involvement in California wildfires.The stock’s dividend yield is 3%.
- Consolidated Edison (ED) – The provider for the New York City and New Jersey metro area. The stock’s dividend yield is 3.5%.
- Southern Co. (SO) – The provider for a portion of the southeast United States, including Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. The stock’s dividend yield is just under 4%.
- Exelon (EXC) – The parent company of Commonwealth Edison, the energy provider for the Chicago metro area. The stock’s dividend yield is 3%.
In general, utilities stocks are considered to be a stable investment given a lack of volatility in their stock prices. This lack of volatility stems from the stable demand utilities companies enjoy; citizens will always need power fed into their homes.
Another advantage: consistent dividend yields. While the dividend payments of stocks related to utilities companies aren’t often very high, investors tend to be more attracted to these companies dividend payments given how consistently payments are made.