For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 7, 2026 – Today, Zacks Equity as Entergy Corp. ETR, FirstEnergy Corp. FE, CenterPoint Energy CNP and PPL Corp. PPL.
Industry: Utilities
Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/3001209/4-utility-stocks-to-buy-as-electric-power-industry-continues-to-grow
The Zacks Utility-Electric Power industry participants generate, transmit and distribute electricity to millions of customers across the United States. Utilities are gradually shifting toward cleaner energy sources and reducing carbon emissions, supported by government policies promoting cleaner power generation. At the same time, companies continue to modernize the grid and strengthen transmission and distribution networks to improve reliability. With hurricanes posing a recurring threat, sustained infrastructure investments are also enhancing grid resilience, reducing outage durations and supporting faster restoration of electricity following severe storms.
Entergy Corp., with an expanding clean energy portfolio, a growing customer base, solid renewable operations and a well-planned capital investment program aimed at strengthening infrastructure, remains well positioned for long-term growth and offers an attractive investment opportunity in the utility sector. Other utilities worth adding to your portfolio are FirstEnergy Corp., CenterPoint Energy and PPL Corp.
About the Industry
The Utility-Electric Power industry is responsible for generating, transmitting, distributing, storing and retailing electricity to consumers. Demand for utility services generally remains resilient across economic cycles, although extreme weather conditions can cause fluctuations in electricity consumption. The industry is also undergoing a major transformation as more utilities pursue zero-emission targets and expand cleaner generation portfolios.
Meanwhile, rising internet usage, increasing electric vehicle adoption, industrial reshoring and rapid growth in artificial intelligence are expected to drive substantial electricity demand, given the high-power requirements of AI-related workloads. However, elevated interest rates remain a key challenge for this capital-intensive industry by increasing financing costs for large infrastructure projects.
3 Major Trends Driving the Electric Power Industry Forward
Utilities Ramp Up Renewable Energy Expansion: U.S. electric power operators are steadily shifting toward cleaner sources of generation. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (“EIA”), renewables are projected to account for 25% of U.S. electricity generation in 2026, up from 24% in 2025, and rise further to 27% in 2027, supported by continued additions of solar and wind capacity.
The Inflation Reduction Act is expected to reinforce this transition by providing greater long-term certainty around federal clean energy incentives. This predictable policy support can improve earnings visibility and strengthen utilities’ decarbonization plans. At the same time, the expansion of large-scale battery storage projects is supporting renewable deployment by helping manage the intermittent nature of solar and wind generation.
Increasing Consumption and Prices for Electricity: Per the EIA, consumption of electricity is expected to increase in the United States. Consumption is expected to increase 2% in 2026 from 2025 levels and further increase 2% in 2027. Utility demand is strengthening as AI-focused data centers drive round-the-clock electricity consumption, while reshoring of semiconductor, battery and robotics manufacturing adds to industrial power requirements. At the same time, increasing adoption of electric vehicles and heat pumps is lifting electricity usage and encouraging continued investment in generation capacity and grid infrastructure.
Per EIA, the price of average electricity to be provided to customers in the industrial, commercial and residential sectors will increase 4.4%, 4.3% and 5.2%, respectively, in 2026. The same trend is expected to continue in 2027 as well, boosting revenues of the companies operating in this space.
Higher Rates to Raise Financing Costs for Utilities: A 25-basis-point increase in interest rates and the possibility of one more rate hike before year-end can pressure domestic-focused, capital-intensive regulated electric utilities by raising borrowing costs for large infrastructure and grid modernization programs. Higher financing expenses may weigh on earnings and cash flows, particularly for companies with sizable debt-funded capital plans. Although regulated utilities can seek recovery of prudent costs through future rate cases, the timing lag between spending and recovery can temporarily pressure returns and financial flexibility.
Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bright Prospects
The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates upbeat near-term prospects. The 62-stock Utility-Electric Power industry is housed within the broader Zacks Utilities sector and currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #112, which places it in the top 45% of more than 247 Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than two to one.
The industry’s positioning in the top 50% of the Zacks Rank industries is a result of a positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. The industry’s recent earnings estimate of $3.13 as of Oct. 5, 2026, reflects year-over-year growth of 2.6%.
Before we present a few Utility-Electric Power stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let us take a look at the industry’s recent stock-market performance and current valuation.
Electric Power Industry Lags S&P 500 But Beats Sector
The Utility-Electric Power industry has lagged the Zacks S&P 500 but outperformed its own sector over the past 12 months. The industry has lost 3.3%, narrower than its sector’s 4.9% decline. The Zacks S&P 500 composite has gained 16.1% in the same period.
Electric Power Industry’s Current Valuation
The P/E F12M (Price/Earnings Forward 12 months) ratio is particularly useful for valuing electric power utilities, as their regulated operations produce reliable and consistent earnings. It provides a simple way to determine whether a stock is fairly valued compared with the industry peers.
The Utility-Electric Power industry is trading at 13.63X compared with the S&P 500’s 19.76X and the Utility sector’s 14.21X.
Over the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 17.43X, as low as 11.92X and at the median of 14.67X.
4 Utility-Electric Power Stocks to Watch and Accumulate
Utilities is a mature sector and all the stocks selected from the Zacks Utility-Electric Power industry have a market capitalization of more than $24 billion. The stocks currently have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Entergy Corporation:New Orleans, LA-based Entergy Corporation is primarily engaged in electric power production and retail distribution of power. The company currently expects to invest $67 billion in the 2026-2029 time period to strengthen its operations. Entergy Corporation is adding more clean assets to its generation portfolio.
The company’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth is pegged at 10.16%. ETR’s current dividend yield is 2.54%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Entergy Corporation’s 2026 and 2027 earnings indicates year-over-year growth of 12.53% and 15.3
Source: finance.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.
