FirstEnergy Corp. (FE)

Utilities: Why Pinnacle West Capital is a good buy

Today on Yahoo Finance's Good Buy or Goodbye, Host Julie Hyman is joined by Mizuho Americas managing director and senior analyst of utilities Anthony Crowdell to discuss the best and worst stock picks for investors in the utilities sector (XLU). Crowdell recommends Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) as a buy. He emphasizes that state regulation is crucial for utilities, and Arizona, where Pinnacle West operates, is seeing improved regulatory conditions. Crowdell believes a potential policy statement from Arizona could give the company "continued momentum" and help it earn better returns. He also highlights the company's attractive load growth, noting that while energy efficiency has generally slowed consumption across the sector, post-pandemic relocation trends and data center growth are boosting demand in certain areas — with Pinnacle West Capital benefiting from this trend. Finally, he cites an attractive valuation with a 3% premium. On the other hand, Crowdell advises investors to avoid FirstEnergy (FE). The Ohio-based company faces regulatory uncertainties following a bribery scandal involving previous management. "We don't know how state regulation is gonna work out here," Crowdell cautions. Despite management changes, he notes ongoing challenges, particularly potential impacts on the company's balance sheet. This post was written by Angel Smith