Four 4-Percenters for Your Portfolio

by Jim Nelson
By Jim Nelson

Utilities have quietly had one of their best years on record … and one of their best summers. 

The quiet part shouldn’t be too big of a surprise. After all, every financial headline is about tech stocks, AI or interest rates. 

And, frankly, utilities are boring. This makes them one of the market’s best-kept secrets.

For those looking for steady income from safe companies to help pay bills in retirement, “utes” are anything but boring.

Here’s how just the past three months stacked up for them compared to the market at large:

Source: YCharts. Click here to see full-sized image.

 


That’s the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLUin purple. 

Its top holdings include NextEra Energy (NEE), Southern Co. (SOand Duke Energy (DUK) — all the majors. 

You can see that it has more than tripled the performance of the S&P 500 since late June. That doesn’t even include the dividends these utility companies pay.

And with rate cuts now in progress, market uncertainty — especially as we head into the U.S. election — and geopolitical conflicts on the rise, there’s absolutely no reason why this uptrend should stop any time soon. 

The XLU is an easy way to play this boom. But remember, you always have access to the Weiss Stock Ratings screen here

By my count, there are 16 utilities that both rate a “buy” and pay at least 3% in dividends. Four pay over 4%. 

Click here to check out all top-rated utilities.

 

Utilities aren’t the only sector on the move. In fact, your experts are targeting several … and even more specific ways to play them. 

Here’s where they are looking …

This FAANG Still Has Bite

Apple (AAPLhas a hidden weapon that’s helped it become the $3.5 trillion behemoth it is today. Gavin Magor says that this weapon is still armed. 

‘Space Is Now Open for Business’

We’ve discussed the enormous market that encompasses the “new space race.” Private equity expert Chris Graebe dives in a bit deeper … and finds a way to grab the most near-term profits. 

Profit from the Push to Power Planets

Your tech guru Michael Robinson is also in love with this field. But he’s looking a bit further out for his space profits. Specifically, powering whole planets.

The Fed Just Shifted Gold Into Overdrive

If you think it’s easy to bank gains on gold these days, you’re right! But Sean Brodrick has a way to do even better. If you listened to him the first time around, you’d have already doubled the S&P 500’s performance. But there’s more to come.

Reagan’s Star Wars Is Finally Real

Star Wars — the futuristic defense system envisioned in the ‘80s, not the movie franchise — is actually here. It’s even being deployed in Ukraine, as I write. And Michael has the best way to profit from this defense-industry breakthrough.

That’s all for this week. Have a great weekend!

Jim Nelson
Managing Editor, Weiss Ratings Daily

About the Contributor

Income expert with more than a decade’s worth of experience with recommending the sale of options and purchase of dividend stocks in financial publications. He is the associate editor of our Weekend Windfalls service and manages several of our other publications.

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