The Utilities Index primarily provides companies that produce, generate, transmit or distribute electricity or natural gas. The component companies include Exelon Corp., Southern Co., and Dominion Resources Inc.
Glossary A-E
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Address
The headquarters address of the company as provided in the latest 10-Q or 10-K SEC forms or newswire announcement.Back to Top
Average Volume
Average volume is the total volume for the previous three months divided by the number of trading days of the previous three months. Compare this number to the daily volume to see if investor interest in the stock has increased or decreased.Back to Top
Beta
Beta measures the volatility of a stock's returns relative to the S&P 500. It is based on a 36-month historical regression of the return on the stock compared to the return on the S&P 500. For example, a beta of 1.5 indicates that a stock tends to move 50% more than the S&P 500 in the same direction. So if the S&P rises 10%, the stock will rise 15%; but if the S&P falls 10%, the stock will fall 15%. Generally speaking, the higher the beta, the more risky the investment.Back to Top
Cash Flow
Net earnings before depreciation, amortization and non-cash charges. Sometimes called cash earnings, cash flow is calculated by adding depreciation to net earnings and subtracting preferred dividends. It is useful for determining how solvent a company is.Back to Top
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
The highest ranking executive who manages the day-to-day operations of the firm, updated according to the latest annual report or newswire announcement.Back to Top
Common Equity
This is the amount of shareholders' equity attributable to common stock. Common stock equity generally consists of the following items: common stock at par value, capital surplus and retained earnings.Back to Top
Current Assets
Assets that can be converted to cash within 12 months. These include cash, marketable securities, accounts receivable and inventory.Back to Top
Current Liabilities
Obligations that must be paid within 12 months. These include accounts payable, short-term debt and interest on long-term debt.Back to Top
Current Share Price
Most recent market price of the shares. Our quote feed is on a 20-minute delay.Back to Top
Debt/Total Capital
This ratio indicates how much financial leverage a company has. It is calculated by dividing total debt by total invested capital. Total debt is long- and short-term debt obligations, including bonds, notes payable, mortgages, lease obligations, and industrial revenue bonds. Total invested capital is the sum of common and preferred stock equity, long term debt, deferred income taxes, investment credits, and minority interest.Back to Top
Depreciation
Depreciation is a non-cash charge that represents a reduction in the value of fixed assets due to wear, age, or obsolescence. This figure also includes amortization — or expensed portion — of leased property, intangibles, goodwill, and depletion.Back to Top
Directional Movement
Directional Movement is a group of measurements used to determine the presence and assess the strength of an asset price trend. A positive component index measures the degree of upward movement, and a negative component index measures the degree of negative movement. When the indexes are plotted against one another on a chart, their relative positions determine the probable near-term direction of the price.Back to Top
Dividends
This is the cash payment, per share, made by the company to its shareholders every quarter. It is usually the part of profits that was not reinvested in the company. Dividends are taxed as income, not capital gains.Back to Top
EBITDA
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Also known as operationg cash flow. EBITDA is calculated by subtracting cost of sales and operating expenses from revenues. It is a useful measure of cash flow for companies that have low earnings because of large restructuring, capital build-out or acquisition costs.Back to Top
Estimated EPS Growth
The mean estimate of earnings-per-share growth (for the indicated period) as derived from all polled estimates from Wall Street analysts. This information is provided by Zacks Investment Research.Back to Top
