12 Best Utility Stocks to Buy for Dividends

4. Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES)

No. of Hedge Fund Investors: 40

Dividend Yield as of Oct. 22: 4.12%

Next on our list of the Best Dividend Stocks in the utilities sector is Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES), which operates New England’s largest energy delivery system and serves customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

On October 22, Jefferies analyst Paul Zimbardo raised the price target for Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) from $54 to $60 and maintained an ‘Underperform’ rating on its shares. While the analyst continues to see complexity in the Aquarion divestiture approval process, it expects the deal to close this year with the belief that it will ‘eventually be approved in some form, but the draft could call for denial without prejudice’. Moreover, the analyst noted that while the short-term tax credits should help support the company’s Q3 results and FY25 EPS, they are ‘not sustainable’.

Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) operates in a regulated sector, providing it with stable cash flows and relatively consistent earnings, enabling the company to raise its payouts even during periods of economic difficulty. ES has grown its dividends for 25 consecutive years, putting it in our list of the Top 15 Dividend Growth Stocks for Long-Term Investors.