Is NextEra Energy (NEE) the Most Profitable Renewable Energy Stock Now?

view original post

We recently published a list of 10 Most Profitable Renewable Energy Stocks Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) stands against other most profitable renewable energy stocks.

In an interview with CNBC on November 9, John Berger, CEO of Sunnova stated that the market is misunderstanding the effects of a Trump administration on solar. Berger addressed speculation about the potential scaling back of the IRA policies under the Trump administration noting that the IRA will not change much, as it has been successful in promoting domestic manufacturing of solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles. In fact, 85% of the capital investments in these areas are in Republican districts.

Berger also highlighted the success of the IRA in incentivizing domestic manufacturing, citing the tax credit for manufacturing and the domestic content requirement in the investment tax credit. He emphasized that both parties agree on the importance of domestic manufacturing.

Renewable Energy Under Trump’s Agenda

In another interview with CNBC on November 14, Bill Perkins, President and CEO at Skylar Capital Management, shared his insights on the energy agenda under President Trump’s new administration. Perkins emphasized that the incoming administration is “pro-energy of all kinds,” whether it’s nuclear, renewable, natural gas, or any other type of energy. He believes that the administration will aim to remove delays, bottlenecks, and frustration points that hinder energy production in the United States.

Perkins noted that the markets have already reacted to the change in administration, with renewable energy companies seeing their stocks relatively lower compared to oil and gas stocks. Perkins suggested that people are worried about the incentives, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, going away. However, he believes that the first thing the administration will focus on is addressing the permitting times, which are currently too long. He pointed out that there is a wing within the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the government that is anti-development and is hurting renewable energy production.

We also discussed the US government’s incentives for the nuclear energy sector in our article about the 10 Best Nuclear Energy Stocks To Invest In Now, here’s an excerpt from it:

“To support nuclear expansion, the U.S. government has bolstered the sector with tax credits, loans, and research funding. The Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) production and investment tax credits for new reactors and existing plants are expected to play a pivotal role.

In 2024, Congress provided a $2.72 billion allocation for developing a domestic nuclear fuel supply chain and passed the ADVANCE Act to improve licensing process efficiency. Congress also allocated $900 million specifically for Gen III+ Small modular reactors (SMRs).

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are an alternative to traditional nuclear plants and offer a promising new opportunity for nuclear energy. SMRs are a type of nuclear reactor with a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit. They are manufactured off-site and shipped to the location for installation, making them more cost-effective and suitable for a wider range of areas.”

As the energy landscape continues to evolve, investors are closely watching the impact of the new administration on the renewable energy sector. With the global demand for clean energy on the rise and innovation in renewable technologies driving growth, the sector’s long-term outlook remains compelling.

A wind turbine, its blades spinning to generate clean renewable energy.

Our Methodology

To compile our list of the 10 most profitable renewable energy stocks now, we scanned clean energy ETFs plus online rankings to compile an initial list of 20 renewable energy stocks. From that list, we narrowed our choices to the 10 stocks that analysts see the most upside to. The list is sorted in ascending order of analysts’ average upside potential, as of November 16. The list is sorted in ascending order of their average upside potential as of November 16.

Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE)

Upside Potential: 14.38%

5-Year Net Income CAGR: 16.67%

TTM Net Income: $6.95 Billion

NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) operates the NextEra Energy Resources (NEER), a major global producer of renewable energy and a pioneer in battery storage solutions. NEER focuses on the development, construction, and operation of long-term energy assets, primarily across the U.S. and Canada. The company’s portfolio includes approximately 34 GW of renewable energy. Additionally, NEER has 1 GW of battery storage capacity distributed across 16 U.S. states.

In Q3, NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE) showcased robust growth and resilience across its operations, reporting an approximately 10% year-over-year increase in adjusted earnings to $2.12 billion. The Energy Resources division achieved an 11% year-over-year increase in adjusted earnings. The company is also exploring the potential restart of Iowa’s Duane Arnold nuclear plant to meet rising demand from data centers.

During the Q3 earnings call, John Ketchum, Chairman, President, and CEO of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE), highlighted that the Duane Arnold plant, a 601 MW boiling water reactor (BWR), is generally less complex and expensive to recommission compared to pressurized water reactors (PWRs). The company plans to execute the project cost-effectively and with minimal risk. Engineering assessments are underway, and the company is collaborating with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to evaluate the restart, driven by strong interest from data center customers.

Overall, NEE ranks 3rd on our list of most profitable renewable energy stocks now. While we acknowledge the potential of NEE to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NEE but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.