Wall Street's Most Accurate Analysts Give Their Take On 3 Utilities Stocks Delivering High-Dividend Yields

Benzinga · 2d ago

During times of turbulence and uncertainty in the markets, many investors turn to dividend-yielding stocks. These are often companies that have high free cash flows and reward shareholders with a high dividend payout.

Benzinga readers can review the latest analyst takes on their favorite stocks by visiting Analyst Stock Ratings page. Traders can sort through Benzinga’s extensive database of analyst ratings, including by analyst accuracy.

Below are the ratings of the most accurate analysts for three high-yielding stocks in the utilities sector.

Southern Co (NYSE:SO)

  • Dividend Yield: 3.40%
  • JP Morgan analyst Jeremy Tonet maintained a Neutral rating and cut the price target from $101 to $94 on Oct. 13, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 64%.
  • Keybanc analyst Sophie Karp maintained an Underweight rating and slashed the price target from $79 to $74 on Oct. 13, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 58%.
  • Recent News: On July 30, Southern posted mixed results for the second quarter.
  • Benzinga Pro’s real-time newsfeed alerted to latest SO news.

American Electric Power Company Inc (NASDAQ:AEP)

  • Dividend Yield: 3.01%
  • Keybanc analyst Sophie Karp upgraded the stock from Sector Weight to Overweight with a price target of $133 on Oct. 13, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 58%.
  • Barclays analyst Nicholas Campanella maintained an Equal-Weight rating and slashed the price target from $129 to $120 on Oct. 12, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 62%.
  • Recent News: American Electric Power announced Wednesday plans to invest approximately $4 billion in a 702-megawatt fuel cell power project near Cheyenne, Wyoming, to support Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google.
  • Benzinga Pro’s real-time newsfeed alerted to latest AEP news

Xcel Energy Inc (NASDAQ:XEL)

  • Dividend Yield: 3.14%
  • Keybanc analyst Sophie Karp maintained an Overweight rating and cut the price target from $90 to $87 on Oct. 13, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 58%.
  • Scotiabank analyst Ian Rapp initiated coverage on the stock with a Sector Outperform rating and a price target of $77 on Sept. 29, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 63%.
  • Recent News: Xcel Energy said it will host a conference call to review third quarter financial results on Thursday, Oct. 29.
  • Benzinga Pro’s real-time newsfeed alerted to latest XEL news

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