Utility Stocks

Electric, gas, and water utilities. The ultimate defensive sector — regulated revenue, steady dividends, and recession resistance.

86 stocks Updated Sep 24, 2026
$1.62T Total Market Cap
22.2 Avg P/E Ratio
3.79% Avg Dividend Yield
-1.32% Avg Daily Change

Utility stocks represent companies that provide essential services — electricity, natural gas, and water — to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Utilities operate as regulated monopolies in most markets, with rates set by state public utility commissions, providing predictable revenue streams and steady earnings.

The sector includes electric utilities like NextEra Energy, Duke Energy, and Southern Company, multi-utilities combining electric and gas services, and water utilities like American Water Works. Utilities have historically been considered bond proxies due to their stable dividends and low volatility, making them core holdings for income-focused portfolios.

A major growth catalyst has emerged as AI data centers drive massive electricity demand, requiring utilities to expand generation capacity and grid infrastructure. This list tracks utility stocks with prices, P/E ratios, dividend yields, and market caps updated daily.

# Symbol Name Price Change % P/E Market Cap
1 NEE Nextera Energy Inc $77.02 -2.83% 18.1 167.86B
2 SO Southern Co/The $83.47 -1.97% 21.4 99.81B
3 DUK Duke Energy Corp $114.17 -1.84% 17.5 92.00B
4 CEG Constellation Energy $263.88 +0.16% 26.2 90.89B
5 AEP American Electric Power $118.40 -1.55% 21.1 66.21B
6 D Dominion Energy Inc $61.17 -2.02% 22.3 56.54B
7 SRE Sempra $79.00 -2.45% 23.4 53.29B
8 VST Vistra Corp $137.97 -1.74% 22.4 49.80B
9 ETR Entergy Corp $99.23 -1.91% 27.1 49.26B
10 XEL Xcel Energy Inc $70.66 -1.94% 21.1 47.16B
11 EXC Exelon Corp $40.69 -2.66% 15.8 44.02B
12 FTS Fortis Inc $53.30 -1.00% 21.5 38.94B
13 ED Consolidated Edison Inc $102.61 -1.18% 17.5 38.83B
14 PEG Public Service Enterprise Gp $67.31 -2.62% 17.6 35.38B
15 WEC Wec Energy Group Inc $101.17 -1.61% 20.3 34.32B
16 SSEZF SSE plc $33.66 -2.82% 30.9 31.88B
17 ENLT Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd $72.51 -1.39% 112.7 30.68B
18 PCG P G & E Corp $12.41 -3.65% 9.3 29.47B
19 AEE Ameren Corporation $99.74 -1.89% 18.3 28.53B
20 ATO Atmos Energy Corp $156.24 -0.70% 19.6 27.53B
21 AWK American Water Works Co Inc $133.06 -0.57% 24.1 27.16B
22 DTE Dte Energy Company $122.89 -2.01% 20.4 26.85B
23 FE Firstenergy Corp $43.65 -2.41% 24.1 26.19B
24 ES Eversource Energy $64.91 -2.21% 17.9 25.99B
25 CNP Centerpoint Energy Inc $37.16 -1.82% 22.7 25.40B
26 PPL Ppl Corp $32.25 -1.92% 20.0 25.29B
27 NRG Nrg Energy Inc $100.72 -1.98% 26.0 22.03B
28 EIX Edison International $53.51 -2.80% 5.4 21.28B
29 EMA Emera Inc $48.20 -1.15% 20.2 21.04B
30 CMS Cms Energy Corp $63.15 -1.74% 20.2 20.76B
31 NI Nisource Inc $39.25 -1.58% 21.6 19.52B
32 EVRG Evergy Inc $78.42 -1.07% 20.0 18.53B
33 LNT Alliant Energy Corp $63.69 -1.44% 21.2 17.28B
34 TLN Talen Energy Corp $300.34 +1.97% 13.73B
35 WTRG Essential Utilities Inc $40.18 -0.50% 21.0 11.65B
36 PNW Pinnacle West Capital $92.05 -1.19% 17.8 11.41B
37 AES Aes Corp $14.81 -0.07% 5.7 10.59B
38 OGE Oge Energy Corp $44.71 -0.89% 20.5 9.56B
39 UGI Ugi Corp $36.62 -0.62% 13.8 8.27B
40 NFG National Fuel Gas Co $78.61 -1.74% 11.3 7.65B
41 IDA Idacorp Inc $128.66 -1.28% 22.5 7.61B
42 OKLO Oklo Inc $38.82 -4.03% 7.05B
43 TXNM Txnm Energy Inc $58.32 -0.53% 32.8 6.44B
44 CWEN Clearway Energy Inc-C $30.12 -1.73% 37.8 6.39B
45 SWX Southwest Gas Holdings Inc $82.34 -1.38% 12.1 6.27B
46 ORA Ormat Technologies Inc $95.83 -1.49% 47.4 6.00B
47 AQN Algonquin Power & Utilities $5.06 -2.88% 27.7 5.81B
48 POR Portland General Electric Co $46.92 -0.95% 21.7 5.57B
49 TAC Transalta Corp $11.95 +0.17% 5.43B
50 NJR New Jersey Resources Corp $52.22 -0.95% 14.8 5.41B
51 BKH Black Hills Corp $70.51 -1.76% 18.0 5.37B
52 SR Spire Inc $77.39 -1.41% 8.7 4.75B
53 OGS One Gas Inc $72.29 -1.74% 16.3 4.71B
54 BEPC Brookfield Renewable Corp $29.22 -2.60% 4.51B
55 BIPC Brookfield Infrastructure-A $35.48 -1.47% 4.45B
56 NWE Northwestern Energy Group In $68.70 -1.67% 24.9 4.26B
57 MDU Mdu Resources Group Inc $18.39 -0.92% 20.1 3.95B
58 OTTR Otter Tail Corp $89.15 -1.20% 19.1 3.72B
59 AWR American States Water Co $83.24 -1.36% 24.1 3.45B
60 KEN Kenon Holdings Ltd $65.60 -0.43% 28.1 3.38B
61 CPK Chesapeake Utilities Corp $129.64 -1.73% 20.8 3.13B
62 AVA Avista Corp $35.45 -1.53% 13.6 3.08B
63 CWT California Water Service Grp $46.07 -2.58% 22.2 2.96B
64 MGEE Mge Energy Inc $70.86 -2.53% 18.7 2.80B
65 HTO H2O America $62.20 -1.14% 24.7 2.64B
66 RNW Renew Energy Global Plc-A $6.84 +0.00% 22.4 2.49B
67 NWN Northwest Natural Holding Co $47.23 -1.15% 16.3 2.05B
68 HE Hawaiian Electric Inds $9.22 -4.26% 7.7 1.74B
69 XIFR Xplr Infrastructure Lp $10.94 -2.93% 17.3 1.07B
70 MSEX Middlesex Water Co $55.32 -1.58% 21.8 1.04B
71 UTL Unitil Corp $51.92 -2.31% 16.8 950.13M
72 HNRG Hallador Energy Co $15.12 -0.33% 708.09M
73 YORW York Water Co $30.93 -2.09% 22.6 538.30M
74 CWCO Consolidated Water Co-Ord Sh $28.20 -0.98% 27.8 449.00M
75 SGU Star Group Lp $12.63 -0.86% 4.8 419.33M
76 GNE Genie Energy Ltd-B $15.91 -1.30% 17.0 418.74M
77 ARTNA Artesian Resources Corp-Cl A $34.44 -2.60% 15.0 354.08M
78 MNTK Montauk Renewables Inc $2.25 +2.27% 40.1 318.13M
79 CDZI Cadiz Inc $3.56 +5.64% 291.71M
80 ELLO Ellomay Capital Ltd $21.98 +5.17% 4.2 285.31M
81 PCYO Pure Cycle Corp $11.10 +0.45% 18.1 266.40M
82 GWRS Global Water Resources Inc $8.50 +0.12% 79.8 250.23M
83 RGCO Rgc Resources Inc $21.32 -0.23% 15.9 222.35M
84 ANNA Aleanna Inc $2.75 +0.37% 26.7 210.84M
85 SPRU Spruce Power Holding Corp $1.92 -4.48% 36.96M
86 VVPR Vivopower International Plc $3.85 -0.26% 30.48M

Related ETFs

Exchange-traded funds that provide diversified exposure to the utility stocks sector.

XLU SPDR
0.09% ER
Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund
Largest utilities ETF tracking S&P 500 utility companies. Low-cost defensive sector exposure.
VPU Vanguard
0.10% ER
Vanguard Utilities ETF
Broad U.S. utility company exposure. Includes electric, gas, water, and multi-utilities at very low cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are utility stocks?
Utility stocks are shares in companies that provide essential infrastructure services — electricity, natural gas, and water. Major U.S. utilities include NextEra Energy (NEE), Duke Energy (DUK), Southern Company (SO), and Dominion Energy (D). Most utilities operate as regulated monopolies with rates approved by government commissions, providing stable and predictable revenue streams.
Are utility stocks a good investment?
Utility stocks are excellent for income and stability. They offer above-average dividend yields (typically 3-5%), low volatility, and defensive characteristics during market downturns. However, growth is typically modest at 4-7% annually. The AI-driven electricity demand boom has improved growth prospects for utilities positioned to benefit. Risks include regulatory decisions on rate increases, rising interest rates, and capital-intensive infrastructure requirements.
How do interest rates affect utility stocks?
Utility stocks are highly sensitive to interest rates. Because investors buy utilities primarily for dividends, rising bond yields make utility dividends less attractive by comparison, often causing utility stock prices to fall. Utilities also carry substantial debt to fund infrastructure, so higher rates increase borrowing costs. Conversely, when rates fall, utility stocks often rally as their stable dividends become more valuable relative to bond yields.
Do utility stocks pay good dividends?
Yes, utilities are among the best dividend-paying sectors. Average yields of 3-5% significantly exceed the S&P 500 average. Many utilities are Dividend Aristocrats with 25+ years of consecutive increases. Companies like NextEra Energy combine strong dividend growth (10%+ annually) with renewable energy expansion. Conservative investors often build portfolios of 5-10 utility stocks for reliable income that grows faster than inflation.
What is a regulated utility?
A regulated utility operates under government oversight where a public utility commission approves the rates it can charge customers. In exchange for this rate regulation, utilities receive a guaranteed service territory (monopoly) and an allowed rate of return on their capital investments — typically 9-11%. This model provides earnings visibility but limits upside. Unregulated or merchant utilities sell power at market prices, offering higher reward but more volatility.
How are utilities affected by AI and data centers?
AI data centers are driving a historic surge in electricity demand. A single large data center campus can consume as much power as a small city. This is transforming utilities from slow-growth to growth companies, as they invest billions in new generation capacity, transmission lines, and grid upgrades. Utilities near major data center hubs are seeing the strongest demand growth. Nuclear and renewable generation assets are especially valuable for tech companies seeking clean, reliable power.
What is the difference between utility stocks and energy stocks?
Utility stocks deliver electricity and gas to end users through regulated distribution networks. Energy stocks produce and refine oil, natural gas, and other commodities. Utilities have regulated, predictable earnings while energy companies are exposed to commodity price volatility. Utilities tend to have higher dividend yields and lower volatility, while energy stocks offer more upside during commodity booms. Some companies like NextEra bridge both sectors through renewable energy generation.

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