4 Reasons to Add South Jersey Industries (SJI) to Portfolio
South Jersey Industries SJI, through its strategic capital investments, aims to strengthen infrastructure. Its improving earnings estimates and steady dividend payment make a strong case for investment in the utility space.
Let’s focus on the factors that make this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock a strong investment pick at the moment. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Growth Projection
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 earnings of $1.69 per share reflects 4.44% year-over-year growth. Revenue estimates of $1.81 billion for 2022 imply year-over-year growth of 2.45%.
Surprise History & Long-Term Growth
South Jersey Industries delivered an average earnings surprise of 82.81% in the last four quarters.
The company’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth is projected at 5.63%.
Dividend
Currently, SJI has a dividend yield of 4.87% compared with the industry’s 2.88%. SJI has a long history of 70 years of dividend payment and has raised annual dividends for 22 consecutive years. The stable performance of SJI has allowed it to distribute dividends to shareholders at regular intervals.
South Jersey Industries plans to maintain a target of annual 3% dividend growth in the 2021-2025 time frame, subject to the approval of its board of directors.
Stable Investments
South Jersey Industries projects a systematic capital expenditure of $3.5 billion for the 2021-2025 time period — with more than 80% allocated for growth, safety and reliability for its customers. It has also planned for 100% reduction in carbon emissions by 2040.
The well-chalked-out capital expenditure of SJI is also driving earnings growth per share. South Jersey Industries expects long-term earning CAGR of 5-8% within 2021-2025 time period.
Price Performance
In the past three months, the stock has gained 15.7% compared with the industry’s 3.1% growth.
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Other Stocks to Consider
Other stocks in Zacks Utilities sector that investors can consider include Atmos Energy ATO, MDU Resources Group MDU and Hawaiian Electric Industries HE, each holding a Zacks Rank #2.
The long-term (three to five years) earnings growth of Atmos Energy, MDU Resources Group and Hawaiian Electric Industries is projected at 7.27%, 6.81% and 7.35%, respectively.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2022 earnings per share of Atmos Energy, MDU Resources Group and Hawaiian Electric Industries has moved up 6.62%, 11.06%, and 0.45%, year over year, respectively.
Atmos Energy, MDU Resources Group and Hawaiian Electric Industries delivered an earnings surprise of 6.46%, 3.47%, and 31.03%, respectively, on average, in the last four quarters.
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Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (HE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
South Jersey Industries, Inc. (SJI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
MDU Resources Group, Inc. (MDU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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