Three utilities and infrastructure stocks to buy

The utilities and infrastructure sector has seen new structural growth drivers in the last few years. And the Ecofin Global Utilities & Infrastructure Trust (LSE: EGL), launched just ten years ago, gives exposure to the sector’s long-term trends, solid protection from inflation and high degrees of predictability of future cash flows.

The bulk of our infrastructure was built in the era following World War II and now significant capital expenditure is required to renovate it after decades of under-investment. The US’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and Germany’s €500 billion infrastructure programme aim to address the issue.

Furthermore, demand for electricity is accelerating after 25 years of decline and is expected to rise by about 50% in the next decade. Energy-intensive AI data centres are securing their power supplies through multi-decade procurement contracts, which are proving highly profitable for utilities. Such fundamental drivers are yet fully to be appreciated by equity markets and there are attractive entry points for undervalued companies with solid earnings outlooks. Three shares stand out to me as particularly compelling.

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(NYSE: BEP), down more than 20% since its highs at the end of May. The group operates a portfolio of high-quality renewable assets in North America and across the world and its strategy is to gather assets essential to energy security to meet growing demand worldwide. This includes nuclear assets in the US through Westinghouse, acquired in 2023. The group has developed a major franchise in batteries, with an 80GW development pipeline, reinforced by the 2024 acquisition of Neoen, and is well positioned to supply data centres. The firm also has one of the strongest balance sheets in the sector and we expect it to deliver earnings growth of about 15% a year over the next three years, with 90% generated from long-term contracts and with 70% of revenues inflation-linked. The stock offers a 5.5% dividend yield.

Greece’s power transmission operator ADMIE (Athens: ADMIE) provides exposure to one of the fastest-growing markets in Europe. Its subsidiary, IPTO, Greece’s sole transmission system operator, plans to double its regulated asset base by 2029. A $530 million equity issuance earlier this year provided the finance for this ambitious capital-expenditure programme. The regulatory framework provides a pre-tax return on equity of 9.8%, at the top end of the range of its European peers. The stock, down by more than 10% since late June, trades on a price/earnings ratio (P/E) of 14 times, with a 2.7% dividend yield. This looks attractive and growth in earnings per share (EPS) over the medium-term is expected to be 25%-30% a year.

Through its combination of flexible renewable-power generation and transmission assets, SSE (LSE: SSE), the UK-listed energy group, is well positioned to benefit from the energy transition. By 2030, 80% of group revenues are bound to be either regulated or fully contracted. SSE expects 25% annual growth in its regulated asset base over the 2025-2030 period via a fully funded £33 billion capital-expenditure programme. The stock trades on a p/e of less than 12 times and annual growth in EPS solidly in the double digits. Annual dividend growth is expected to be 5%-10% over the medium term. SSE looks like one of the cheapest stocks in the pan-European utilities sector.