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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
AI, Benign Regulation and Lower Rates will Power Utility Gains in 2025
By
Roger S. Conrad on
Dec. 9, 2024
Is inflation really quelled? How fast will the Federal Reserve cut interest rates? And which campaign promises will the incoming Trump Administration push hardest to deliver?
The answers will literally make or break the S&P 500 in 2025. It’s one-third weighted in just 7 Big Tech stocks, already priced for perfection. And more stock market money is now passively invested than actively managed. So an S&P plunge would crunch many Americans’ wealth, and possibly the economy as well.
Avista Corp: High Dividend, Declining Risk and an AI Play
By
Roger S. Conrad on
Dec. 9, 2024
A year ago, Avista Corp (NYSE: AVA) and other Pacific Northwest utilities were called out for future exposure to increasingly catastrophic wildfires. Some analysts forecast a permanent wildfire discount for their stocks.
Avista did experience severe conditions in late September, requiring a public safety power shutoff (PSPS) to 1,500 customers. But it also avoided meaningful liability, thanks in part to installing 9 artificial intelligence enabled fire detection cameras.
CLP Holdings: Your Least Risk Bet on Electricity in Asia
By
Roger S. Conrad on
Dec. 9, 2024
American electricity demand is growing at its fastest rate since the 1960s. But more than 90 percent of global power demand growth from 2016 through 2023 was in Asia.
According to the World Economic Forum, the continent will use half the world’s electricity next year. And China alone will use 33 percent, up from just 10 percent in 2000.
End Year 2024 Moves and Non-Moves
By
Roger S. Conrad on
Dec. 9, 2024
Other than it’s the pending close of the tax year, there’s nothing magical about the final weeks of the year for investors.
When Dividend Cut Risk is Overstated
By
Roger S. Conrad on
Dec. 9, 2024
Nothing alarms income investors more than fear of dividend cuts. So accusing a trusted company of nearing one is a time-tested way to get attention—whether you’re a Wall Street analyst or a Seeking Alpha blogger. BCE Inc (TSX: BCE, NYSE: BCE) and Eversource Energy (NYSE: ES) are recent targets of dividend cut speculation. But unlike the trio of companies currently on the Endangered Dividends List, actual risk is far less than it may first appear.
Utilities: Riding the AI Wave Safely
By
Roger S. Conrad on
Dec. 9, 2024
Electricity demand will grow six times faster over the next 20 years than it has over the previous 20. U.S. data center use alone will require 460 terawatt hours of new power by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 22 percent. Utility rates will have to rise at much as 70 percent by the end of the decade to pay for needed system investment. Big Tech companies are on the verge of financing a wave of new nuclear power construction.
The Investment Boom is On and Utility Values Abound
By
Roger S. Conrad on
Nov. 11, 2024
In the past month, America has elected a new president and Congress, along with literally hundreds of state legislators and governors. And the Federal Reserve has delivered on a second cut since its historic September 18 pivot, from “higher for longer” interest rates.
For investors, the far more consequential event has been the mostly passed season for Q3 earnings releases and guidance updates.
The Utility Report Card has my company-by-company analysis for the 170 utilities and essential services providers I’ve tracked now for nearly four decades. My top takeaway: Investment is booming, and that’s very good news for Conrad’s Utility Investor recommendations’ earnings, dividends and ultimately stock prices over the next few years.
MODEL PORTFOLIOS & RATINGS
Aggressive Income Portfolio
Roger's favorite utilities for investors seeking superior price appreciation by taking calculated risks.
Conservative Income Portfolio
Harness the tried and true wealth-building power of rising dividends.
Top 10 DRIPs
Nothing compounds wealth like reinvesting a rising stream of dividends.
Endangered Dividends List
Warning: Falling Dividends.
Utility Report Card
Roger's current take and vital statistics on more than 200 essential-services stocks.
Conrad's Utility Investor
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