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  • Roger S. Conrad

Roger S. Conrad needs no introduction to individual and professional investors, many of whom have profited from his decades of experience uncovering the best dividend-paying stocks for accumulating sustainable wealth.

Roger built his reputation with Utility Forecaster, a publication he founded more than 20 years ago that The Hulbert Financial Digest routinely ranked as one of the best investment newsletters. He’s also a sought-after expert on master limited partnerships (MLP) and former Canadian royalty trusts.

In April 2013, Roger reunited with his long-time friend and colleague, Elliott Gue, becoming co-editor of Energy & Income Advisor, a semimonthly online newsletter that’s dedicated to uncovering the most profitable opportunities in the energy sector.

Although the masthead may have changed, readers can count on Roger to deliver the same high-quality analysis and rational assessment of the best dividend-paying utilities, MLPs and dividend-paying Canadian energy names.

Articles

A Solid 2023 but a Better 2024

By Roger S. Conrad on Jan. 11, 2024

Calendar year 2023 is in the books. Our Aggressive Holdings managed a 9 percent average return. Conservative Holdings dropped -2.6 percent and the Top 10 DRIPs lost -1.9 percent. Those returns compare to a -5.2 percent decline in the Dow Jones Utility Average. Other indexes relevant to portfolio holdings include the Alerian MLP Index (up 25.4 percent), iShares Select Dividend ETF (up 1 percent), the Nasdaq Clean Energy Index (-9.8 percent) the S&P Energy Index (-1.4 percent) and the S&P Telecom Services Index (up 2.7 percent).

Dividend Cuts in 2024: Rare and Likely Strategic

By Roger S. Conrad on Jan. 11, 2024

Six companies in the Utility Report Card coverage universe cut dividends in 2023. That’s been about the average count for most years since the mid-1980s, when I began tracking utilities and essential services stocks. But having so few last year was quite a demonstration of sector resilience.

Picks and Pans for 2024

By Roger S. Conrad on Jan. 11, 2024

Cutting debt, strategic M&A and regulatory breakthroughs were “in” last year. High levels of debt and renewable energy were “out.” That’s the verdict of my annual roundup of utility and essential services company returns, highlighted in this month’s Utility Report Card. Divergence between individual companies in 2023 was roughly the same as in 2022, with 216.2 percentage points separating the top and bottom of my table “Best and Worst of 2023” versus 206.6 a year ago. And thanks to a pair of massive sector out-performances, my 2023 picks narrowly edged the pans—with both groups topping the Dow Jones Utility Average by more than 20 percentage points.

Utilities Re-Rating in Progress

By Roger S. Conrad on Dec. 11, 2023

There’s just three weeks left until New Year’s Eve. And the Dow Jones Utility Average is still down –6.2 percent in 2023. That leaves the sector on track for its worst performance since 2008, barring a powerful end-year rally,—though that year’s -27.8 percent demolishing is in a whole different league.

Since early October, however, the DJUA is up 11.5 percent, topping even the robust returns from the S&P 500 and the big technology stock Nasdaq 100. And the biggest winners the past two months have been the stocks that were beaten up the most through September, for example AES Corp (NYSE: AES) with an 60 percent-plus return.

My view: We’re in the early stages of a utility sector re-rating and stock price recovery.

WEC Energy Group: Best in Class No Longer at a Premium Price

By Roger S. Conrad on Dec. 11, 2023
For most of the 9-plus years it’s been a Conservative Holding, WEC Group (NYSE: WEC) has been tough to buy at a good price. That’s not the case now with the stock yielding nearly 4 percent, and the upper Midwest utility on track for a 7 percent dividend boost later this week. Much of WEC’s weakness this year is due to generalized utility sector selling. But the company has also seen its historic premium valuations compressed a bit: The forward earnings multiple of 18.5 times is the lowest in more than 8 years, and the stock’s yield is approaching a 20-year high—when the dividend was roughly one-eighth of what it is now.

Hannon Armstrong Sustainable: It’s All About the Spread

By Roger S. Conrad on Dec. 11, 2023
The first time I added shares of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (NYSE: HASI) to the Aggressive Holdings, we cashed out with a return of about 300 percent. My attempt at a reprise has so far been somewhat less successful. Hannon has met management’s guidance for 10-13 percent annual distributable earnings growth, as well as target yearly 5 to 8 percent dividend increases. The dividend itself is 13 percent higher than when we entered in early 2022, with another boost ahead for February.

SSE Cuts: That Makes Six for 2023

By Roger S. Conrad on Dec. 11, 2023

UK electric utility SSE Plc (London: SSE, OTC: SSEZY) has “rebased” its twice-annual dividend to a new rate of 60 pence, starting with the March 2024 payment. That’s roughly -38 percent less than the previous annualized rate of 96.7 pence. As noted in my Utility Report Card comments, management stuck to its previous full-year FY2024 (end March 31) earnings guidance range, with a mid-point of GBP1.50 per share. That was despite what appeared to be disappointing results for the first half (end September 30), as adjusted EPS sank by roughly -11 percent.

Rotation or Recession, We’re Ready

By Roger S. Conrad on Dec. 11, 2023

Will a massive sector rotation propel market averages to new heights in 2024? Or will a bursting of Big Tech’s valuation bubble combine with a weakening economy and relentless upward pressure on interest rates to send the autumn recovery into full reverse? Either way, the stocks in the CUI Aggressive, Conservative and Top 10 Holdings portfolios are ready. That follows the release of strong Q3 results and guidance updates that frankly seemed to shock many.

MODEL PORTFOLIOS & RATINGS

ABOUT ROGER CONRAD

Roger S. Conrad needs no introduction to individual and professional investors, many of whom have profited from his decades of experience uncovering the best dividend-paying stocks for accumulating sustainable wealth. Roger b