Is it time for a utilities play?Defensives have been outperforming the S&P 500 since March. If you believe the outperformance will continue, then now might be the time to buy, as they are approaching the support line.
I'm particularly watching utilities. In addition to being a classic defensive sector, utilities also have "growth" potential. They had a period of strong outperformance a couple years ago during the renewables boom. Presently they look cheap compared to other sectors. The equal-weight utilities to equal-weight S&P 500 ratio has made a large bullish divergence and is currently testing a support level. Might it make a double bottom here?
I particularly like NRG Energy, a Texas utility with a diversified basket of power generation capabilities, including fossil fuels and renewables. NRG is looking like it will make a breakout attempt soon:
It has a forward P/E of 6, a forward P/S under .5, and a P/FCF under 11. Dividend yield is over 4%. Open interest is bullish, and upside to the average analyst price target is 36%. This bad boy could seriously rip if utilities return to strength.
Utilities move somewhat in sympathy with oil prices, and oil prices are breaking out. That could prove to be a catalyst for this sector.