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Feature Article

Exelon Corp: Dividing to Conquer

By Roger S. Conrad on Oct. 11, 2021
It took an 11th hour legislative showdown and threats by the company to shut a pair of nuclear plants. But Illinois has now passed the omnibus energy legislation Exelon Corp (NYSE: EXC) sought for years. And the company has never been better positioned to take advantage.

Making Rising Interest Rates Your Friend

By Roger S. Conrad on Oct. 11, 2021

Worries about rising interest rates and inflation pressures have emerged as material headwinds for dividend paying stocks. As a result, the Dow Jones Utility Average has once again failed to break above long-standing upside resistance at its February 2020 all-time high. That makes it 19 months and counting since the DJUA has reached a new peak. And it’s a stark contrast to the S&P 500, which hit one just last month.

Beware Talk of “Right-Sizing”

By Roger S. Conrad on Oct. 11, 2021

AT&T Inc (NYSE: T) still sells for less than 8.7 times expected 2021 earnings. And PPL Corp (NYSE: PPL) yields 2.5 percentage points more than the Dow Jones Utility Average. Why the deep discounts? Because neither company’s management has come clean on how much they intend to cut dividends after completing major transactions early next year, other than to say they intend to “right size.”

Energy Transition Meets the Cycle: Danger and Opportunity

By Roger S. Conrad on Oct. 10, 2021

According to the US Energy Information Administration’s baseline forecast, Americans will use 40 percent more electricity by 2050 than in 2010. And more than half of that will come from new wind and solar, driven by the combination of favorable government policies, continued declines in the cost curve and development of energy storage.

This summer, the Biden Administration upped the ante even more with a proposal to build 1,000 gigawatts of solar generating capacity in the US by 2035 at a projected cost of roughly $1 trillion. That follows its acceleration of permitting for US offshore wind projects as well, which the government hopes will result in 26 GW of capacity entering service by 2030.

Centerpoint Energy: Safe Stock with 3 Upside Catalysts

By Roger S. Conrad on Sep. 6, 2021

Last week, Centerpoint Energy’s (NYSE: CNP) 7 percent preferred stock converted into 1.8349 of the company’s common shares. That was the maximum possible exchange and the best outcome for the preferred, which also paid a final dividend of 87.5 cents.

Dominion Energy: Ready to Ride the Wind

By Roger S. Conrad on Sep. 6, 2021

Last July, Dominion Energy (NYSE: D) announced a dramatic and somewhat painful move for shareholders: Selling oil and gas midstream assets to a unit of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK/B) for $9.7 billion including assumed debt, and cutting dividends -33 percent to reflect the resulting reduced cash flow.

Doubling Down On Strengths, Watching for Weaknesses

By Roger S. Conrad on Sep. 6, 2021

Last week, the Dow Jones Utility Average hit a new high for 2021. But unlike most market sectors, utilities as a group still can’t seem to get over the hump of making a new all-time high. And as this issue of CUI goes to post, the DJUA is still roughly 2 percent below where it crested in mid-February 2020.

Ripping Off the Band-Aid

By Roger S. Conrad on Sep. 6, 2021
We’re still waiting on AT&T Inc (NYSE: T) and PPL Corp (NYSE: PPL) to rip off the band-aid: Publicly setting numbers for dividend cuts they’ve warned about for 2022.

High Yields for a Zero Rate World

By Roger S. Conrad on Sep. 6, 2021

Record fiscal and monetary stimulus, pandemic-disrupted supply chains and an upturn in the energy price cycle are stirring global inflation pressures. Consumer prices rose roughly 5 percent in July across the developed world, with the US leading the way.

AES Corp: The Best is Yet to Come

By Roger S. Conrad on Aug. 9, 2021
Thirteen months ago, I highlighted AES Corp (NYSE: AES) in this space. Since then, the stock has racked up a total return close to 80 percent. But the best is yet to come for investors in the global power generation and distribution company.

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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