Friday Sector Laggards: Utilities, Services
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 01 2024
0mins
Source: NASDAQ.COM
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy D?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on D
Wall Street analysts forecast D stock price to fall
12 Analyst Rating
2 Buy
9 Hold
1 Sell
Hold
Current: 68.500
Low
59.00
Averages
64.36
High
70.00
Current: 68.500
Low
59.00
Averages
64.36
High
70.00
About D
Dominion Energy, Inc. provides regulated electricity service to approximately 3.6 million homes and businesses in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, and regulated natural gas service to over 500,000 customers in South Carolina. It develops and operates regulated offshore wind and solar power and is the producer of carbon-free electricity in New England. Its Dominion Energy Virginia segment includes Virginia Power's regulated electric transmission, distribution and generation operations, which serve homes and businesses in Virginia and North Carolina. Its Dominion Energy South Carolina segment includes DESC's generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to customers in the central, southern and southwestern portions of South Carolina and the distribution of natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers in South Carolina. Its Contracted Energy segment includes nonregulated long-term contracted electric generation fleet and natural gas facilities.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Grid Reliability Crisis: The mounting reliability issues of the U.S. electric grid have led to rising power bills for millions of households and businesses, with potential upgrade spending exceeding $1 trillion over the next decade, exacerbating the conflict between energy burdens and CEO compensation.
- Surging CEO Pay: According to a Reuters analysis, the CEOs of the 15 largest utility companies hold nearly $993 million in stock-based pay, averaging around $66 million per CEO, highlighting the stark disparity between executive compensation and rising consumer electricity costs.
- Accelerated Market Consolidation: The surge in power demand has prompted NextEra Energy's $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy, positioning it as the third-largest energy company in the U.S., which may enhance market competitiveness and drive further industry consolidation.
- Service Disconnection Issues: In 2024, approximately 13.4 million residential customers in the U.S. faced service disconnections due to unpaid bills, illustrating the plight of families under high electricity costs, prompting consumer advocates to call for linking CEO compensation to service reliability to alleviate energy burdens on ordinary households.
See More
- Dividend Stock Advantage: In an environment of high inflation and rising interest rates, top-tier dividend stocks serve as a safe haven for investors due to their robust business models and consistently growing dividends, particularly those that can compete with bond yields.
- Coca-Cola's Performance: The Coca-Cola Company has increased its dividends for 64 consecutive years, currently boasting a 2.6% dividend yield, and outperformed the S&P 500 during the Fed's rate hikes in 2022, demonstrating strong pricing power and market adaptability.
- Enterprise Products Partners' Stability: Enterprise Products Partners excelled in 2022 with a dividend yield of 5.9%, benefiting from approximately 90% of its long-term contracts containing price escalation clauses, which help maintain profitability in inflationary conditions.
- Dominion Energy's Growth Potential: Although Dominion Energy's stock price fell in 2022, its outlook remains positive due to rapid data center construction and an acquisition deal with NextEra Energy, with a dividend yield of 3.93%, indicating strong future prospects.
See More
- Coca-Cola's Dividend Advantage: The Coca-Cola Company has increased its dividend for 64 consecutive years, with a current yield of 2.6%, providing stable cash flow in a high-inflation environment, thereby boosting investor confidence.
- Enterprise Products Partners' Inflation Resilience: Enterprise Products Partners has approximately 90% of its long-term contracts with price escalation clauses, has increased its distribution for 27 consecutive years, and currently offers a distribution yield of about 5.9%, enabling it to achieve double-digit total returns under inflationary pressures.
- Dominion Energy's Market Potential: Despite a poor stock performance in 2022, Dominion Energy benefits from rapid data center construction, and its acquisition price is nearly 15% above its current stock price, indicating significant market value potential.
- Dividend Stocks' Market Performance: During the Fed's rate hikes in 2022, top-tier dividend stocks outperformed the S&P 500, demonstrating their appeal as safe havens, particularly in an environment of rising interest rates and persistent inflation.
See More

- Major Acquisition Plan: NextEra Energy's announcement of a $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy, pending regulatory approval, could create the world's largest utility company, significantly enhancing market competitiveness and triggering a wave of industry consolidation.
- Surging Power Demand: With the artificial intelligence sector's skyrocketing electricity needs, Goldman Sachs predicts U.S. data center electricity consumption will double within a year, making NextEra's acquisition of Dominion strategically vital for ensuring stable power supply.
- Potential Acquisition Target: Vistra is viewed as a likely acquisition target, boasting a generation capacity of 44,000 megawatts, sufficient to power 30 million homes, with a market cap of approximately $50 billion, attracting interest from major utility companies.
- Synergistic Integration: Constellation Energy's strong position in nuclear power could complement Vistra's resources, potentially leading to a strategic partnership that further solidifies their leadership in key markets like Texas and California.
See More
- Acquisition Intent: NextEra Energy's announcement of a $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy, pending regulatory approval, could create the world's largest utility company, significantly enhancing market competitiveness and addressing soaring electricity demand.
- Surging Power Demand: The rapid growth of AI data centers has led Goldman Sachs to predict that U.S. data center electricity consumption will double within a year, driving increased merger and acquisition activity in the utility sector.
- Potential Target: Vistra Energy is viewed as a likely acquisition target, with a power generation capacity of 44,000 megawatts sufficient to power 30 million homes, and a market cap of approximately $50 billion, making it attractive to potential buyers.
- Geographic Integration Advantage: Constellation Energy's strong position in nuclear power complements Vistra's resources, and the overlap in geographic presence would enable more effective operational integration, enhancing overall market competitiveness.
See More
- Legal Investigation Launched: Halper Sadeh LLC is investigating Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE:AXTA) regarding its sale to Akzo Nobel N.V., which involves exchanging 0.6539 shares of AkzoNobel stock for each share of Axalta, potentially infringing on shareholder rights.
- Cash Acquisition Concerns: Global Business Travel Group, Inc. (NYSE:GBTG) is being sold to Long Lake Management for $9.50 per share in cash, prompting Halper Sadeh LLC to remind shareholders to consider their rights and options to ensure fairness in the transaction.
- Shareholder Rights Protection: The sale of Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D) to NextEra Energy, Inc. involves exchanging 0.8138 shares of NextEra for each share of Dominion, with Halper Sadeh LLC potentially seeking increased compensation and additional disclosures to safeguard shareholder interests.
- Merger Transaction Review: The merger of Envirotech Vehicles, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVTV) with AZIO AI Corp. is also under investigation, with Halper Sadeh LLC encouraging shareholders to understand their legal rights to ensure transparency and fairness in the merger process.
See More










