Here's Why You Should Buy Portland General Electric Stock Now

Portland General Electric POR continues to benefit from strategic investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure. Given its growth opportunities, POR makes for a solid investment option in the utility sector.Let’s focus on the factors that make this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company a promising investment pick at the moment.POR’s Growth Projections & Surprise HistoryThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for POR’s 2025 earnings per share (EPS) has increased 0.3% to $3.22 in the past 90 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 sales is pegged at $3.53 billion, indicating a year-over-year increase of 2.7%.  POR’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 3.39%. The company delivered an average earnings surprise of 1.7% in the last four quarters.Debt Position of PORCurrently, Portland General Electric’s total debt to capital is 55.12%, better than the industry average of 60.89%. The time-to-interest earned ratio at the end of the second quarter of 2025 was 2.6. The ratio, being greater than one, reflects the company’s ability to meet future interest obligations without difficulties.POR’s Dividend HistoryThe company has been consistently increasing shareholder value through dividends. Currently, POR’s quarterly dividend is 52.5 cents per share, resulting in an annual dividend of $2.10. The company targets 5-7% long-term dividend growth. Its current dividend yield of 4.83% is better than the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s average of 1.11%. The company targets a dividend payout ratio of 60-70% over the long term.POR’s Strategic InvestmentsStrategic capital investments make Portland General Electric’s infrastructure stronger and more resilient. It has a planned capital expenditure of more than $6.4 billion during 2025-2029. The company expects its capital expenditures to be nearly $1.22 billion in 2025. The capital expenditures are targeted toward generation, transmission, distribution, general, technology, and battery energy storage systems projects.POR’s Focus on Clean EnergyIn August 2025, the company completed three new utility-scale battery energy storage systems, adding 475 megawatts (MW) and more than 1.9 gigawatt hours (GWh) of dispatchable capacity to serve the Portland metro area.The company has 3,500-4,500 MW of additional non-emitting resources remaining to be procured through multi-stage Request for Proposal processes through 2030.POR’s Stock Price PerformanceIn the past three months, shares of Portland General Electric have rallied 6.9% compared with the industry’s growth of 5.8%. Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchOther Stocks to ConsiderSome other top-ranked stocks from the same industry are TransAlta TAC, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and NiSource NI and Exelon Corporation EXC, both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TAC’s 2025 EPS is pinned at 8 cents, indicating a decline of 81.4% year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 sales is pinned at $2 billion, indicating a decline of 4% year over year.NI’s long-term earnings growth rate is 7.88%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 EPS is pinned at $1.88, which indicates year-over-year growth of 7.4%.  EXC’s long-term earnings growth rate is 6.34%. The company delivered an average earnings surprise of 7% in the last four quarters. 5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the months ahead. They includeStock #1: A Disruptive Force with Notable Growth and ResilienceStock #2: Bullish Signs Signaling to Buy the DipStock #3: One of the Most Compelling Investments in the MarketStock #4: Leader In a Red-Hot Industry Poised for GrowthStock #5: Modern Omni-Channel Platform Coiled to SpringMost of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +171%, +209% and +232%.Download Atomic Opportunity: Nuclear Energy's Comeback free today.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Exelon Corporation (EXC): Free Stock Analysis Report NiSource, Inc (NI): Free Stock Analysis Report Portland General Electric Company (POR): Free Stock Analysis Report TransAlta Corporation (TAC): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks