Top Utility Stocks by Dividend Yield and Market Cap
GNG Research tracks 123 utility stocks across electric, gas, water and renewable utilities. 84 of them pay a dividend, with a median forward yield of 3.57% among payers. The largest by market cap are Nextera Energy (NEE), Centrais Electricas Brasileiras SA (EBR) and Southern Company (SO). State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU), the sector proxy used here, has a total return of +0.9% in 2026 through Oct 16, 2026, against +12.8% for the S&P 500 (SPY).
Prices and yields use the latest available records. Returns through Oct 16, 2026.
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High Dividend Utility Stocks
Companies worth at least $1B with a forward yield up to 25%, one listing per company.
Top Utility Stocks by Market Cap
Companies ranked by reported market capitalization, one listing per company.
- $166.46B
- $104.89B
- $94.71B
- $79.50B
- $55.90B
- $54.54B
- $51.74B
Utilities Sector Performance
Calendar-year total returns of State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) and the S&P 500 (SPY), with dividends reinvested.
Total returns from daily closes with dividends reinvested and splits applied, using State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) as the sector proxy and SPY for the S&P 500. 2026 is year to date through Oct 16, 2026.
Growth of $10,000 in XLU
A $10,000 investment in State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) at the start of 2010, with dividends reinvested, against the same amount in the S&P 500 (SPY).
$10,000 invested in XLU at the start of 2010 grew to $48,199 by Oct 16, 2026 with dividends reinvested, against $92,073 in SPY.
Utility Stocks by Industry
One listing per company; preferred shares, notes and funds are left out.
Utilities ETFs
Funds that hold utility stocks. XLU is the sector proxy for the returns on this page; yields and expense ratios are the figures each fund's page shows.
Utility Stocks List
All 123 utility stocks GNG Research tracks, largest first. Yield is the trailing 12-month dividend yield each stock page shows.
Showing 100 of 123 companies
About Utilities
Utilities generate and deliver electricity, natural gas and water, and some develop renewable power.
Many operate under rates set by state regulators, which keeps their revenue steadier than most sectors, while the heavy borrowing needed to build plants and power lines makes their shares sensitive to interest rates.
Research Utility Stocks
- Screen utility stocks by dividend yield, payout ratio and valuation in the free dividend stock screener. A free account is required, and the View in Research Terminal button above loads every company on this page.
- Open any company for its full stock analysis, or its dividend page for ex-dividend dates and payment history, such as the NEE dividend history.
- Chart a company's P/E ratio, price and dividends over time with Advanced Charting, free with a free GNG account.
- Test a portfolio of utility stocks or sector ETFs with the free dividend portfolio backtest tool.
- Project the dividend income from utility stocks in the Dividend Forecaster (Pro Lite and up).
- Follow the companies you are researching in a free watchlist.
Other Stock Sectors
Median forward dividend yield among each sector's dividend payers, and each sector ETF's total return this year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are utility stocks?
Utilities generate and deliver electricity, natural gas and water, and some develop renewable power. GNG Research tracks 123 utility stocks.
Which utility stocks pay the highest dividends?
Among utility stocks worth at least $1 billion with forward yields up to 25%, the highest forward dividend yields are Suburban Propane Partners (SPH) at 7.53%, Clearway Energy Inc Class C (CWEN) at 6.34% and Edison International (EIX) at 6.31%. 84 utility stocks on this page pay a dividend, with a median forward yield of 3.57%.
What are the largest utility stocks?
Nextera Energy (NEE), Centrais Electricas Brasileiras SA (EBR) and Southern Company (SO) are the largest utility stocks by market cap, at $166.46B, $141.50B and $104.89B.
How has the utilities sector performed?
State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU), used here as the sector proxy, returned +0.9% in 2026 through Oct 16, 2026 and +16.0% in 2025, with dividends reinvested. The S&P 500 (SPY) returned +12.8% and +17.7% over the same periods.
Which ETFs hold utility stocks?
GNG Research covers 2 ETFs that hold utility stocks: XLU (State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% expense ratio) and VPU (Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF Shares, 0.09% expense ratio). XLU is the sector proxy for the returns on this page.
All Utilities stocks covered by GNG
Market data is provided for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. GNG Research's proprietary safety, quality, and valuation scores are available to members on each stock page.
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