Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is Brookfield Renewable Partners (BEP) Stock Outpacing Its Utilities Peers This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

For those looking to find strong Utilities stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners (BEP - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners is a member of the Utilities sector. This group includes 104 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #6. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BEP's full-year earnings has moved 344% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, BEP has moved about 2.3% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, stocks in the Utilities group have lost about 2.5% on average. This means that Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Another stock in the Utilities sector, NRG Energy (NRG - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 0.4%.

The consensus estimate for NRG Energy's current year EPS has increased 36.8% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking more specifically, Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners belongs to the Utility - Electric Power industry, which includes 59 individual stocks and currently sits at #98 in the Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks in this group have lost about 1.2% so far this year, so BEP is performing better this group in terms of year-to-date returns. NRG Energy is also part of the same industry.

Going forward, investors interested in Utilities stocks should continue to pay close attention to Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners and NRG Energy as they could maintain their solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) - free report >>

Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. (BEP) - free report >>

Published in