Utilities

Stocks trading at or near 52-week highs and lows provide excellent trading opportunities, as volatility tends to increase at such levels and exit/entry points become more clearly defined. The following stocks hit new 52-week highs in Monday's trading session (listed from highest total volume to...

Shares of NiSource (NYSE: NI) are higher on the session by 2.04%, currently trading at $20.53. The stock has been moving largely higher over the past six months and is currently trading above the 50-day moving average. Options traders are buying calls on the name today. A short while ago the...

PPL (NYSE: PPL) releases its next round of earnings this Friday, August 5, 2011. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for this Friday's second quarter earnings announcement. Earnings and Revenue: Wall Street expects an EPS of 44 cents/share and revenues of $2.26 billion. Investors...

Aqua America's (NYSE: WTR) Board of Directors today declared a dividend increase of $0.01 per share from $0.155 per share to $0.165 per share for the December 1, 2011 quarterly dividend, to all shareholders of record on November 17, 2011. This represents a 6.5 percent increase to the quarterly...

Archer Daniels Midland Co (NYSE: ADM) reported a decline in its fiscal fourth-quarter profit. Archer Daniels Midland reported its quarterly profit at $381 million, or $0.58 per share, down from $446 million, or $0.69 per share, in the year-earlier period. Analysts were expecting earnings of $0.85...

Wells Fargo is out with a research report on Constellation Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE: CEG) and is initiating coverage with a Market Perform rating and a $43-$44 price target on shares. In a note to clients, Wells Fargo writes, "We are initiating coverage of CEG with a Market Perform rating and 12-...

Wells Fargo has initiated coverage on Constellation Energy Group (NYSE: CEG) with a Market Perform rating.

Entergy Corp (NYSE: ETR) reported upbeat second-quarter earnings on Tuesday. Entergy's quarterly earnings rose to $315.6 million, or $1.76 per share, from 315.3 million, or $1.65 per share, in the year-earlier period. Its revenue dropped 2% y/y to $2.8 billion. However, analysts were expecting...

This is your Benzinga news summary and traders' outlook for Tuesday, August 2, 2011, covering headlines from overnight and Tuesday's pre-market session. Today in domestic pre-market trading, U.S. equity futures are trading lower even after the House voted to pass a deal to raise the nation's debt...

American Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT) rose 2.88% to $54.01 in the pre-market session. AMT reported a 27.1% rise in its Q2 total revenue. Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) added 2.42% to $35.18 in the pre-market session. CHK declared a $0.0875 per share quarterly dividend. Duke Energy...

Ladenburg Thalmann reiterated its Buy rating on Aqua America (NYSE: WTR). At the same time, the rating agency left its price target on the company's stock unchanged at $25. On Monday, WTR added 0.71% to its value to end the day at $21.30.

Hilliard Lyons upgraded Southern Company (The) (NYSE: SO) from “neutral” to “buy.” SO's shares closed at $39.66 yesterday. SO's trailing-twelve-month revenue is $17.62 billion. FBR Capital upgraded Camden Property Trust (NYSE: CPT) from “underperform” to “market perform.” CPT's shares closed at $...

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) swung to a profit in the second quarter. Duke Energy reported a quarterly profit at $435 million, or $0.33 per share, versus a loss of $222 million, or $0.17 per share, in the year-earlier period. Duke Energy's adjusted net income came in at $0.33 per share. Its operating...

Citi has published a report on Calpine Corporation (NYSE: CPN) brightening the view of the energy company's future. In the report, Citi wrote, "We are raising our utilization assumptions for Calpine's North and Southeast combined cycle gas turbine fleet to 44% for 2013, up from 41%. EPA's...

Citi reiterated its Hold rating on MDU Resources Group (NYSE: MDU). At the same time, the rating agency left its price target on the company's stock unchanged at $24. On Monday, MDU closed the day at $21.56. Its shares lost 1.07% of their value in today's pre-market trading to stand around $21.33.