NextEra: A Quiet Accumulation

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I acquired a small parcel of NextEra Energy shares some years ago. Not a passionate investment, mind you. More a… resignation to the inevitability of utility stocks. I haven’t felt compelled to add to it since. One rarely feels compelled, does one? But 2026 approaches, and with it, a quiet intention to accumulate a bit more. Not because of grand visions, but because… well, because it seems as good a place as any to park a little capital.

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The Illusion of Progress

NextEra recently published its earnings. The numbers were… adequate. A growth rate of 8.2% in earnings per share. They project something similar for the next few years. A predictable trajectory. They also speak of dividends, increasing at a respectable clip. It’s all very… orderly. One almost forgets the inherent precariousness of it all. The relentless demand for power, the aging infrastructure, the faint scent of desperation beneath the glossy reports.

They describe themselves as a hybrid – a regulated utility and a renewable energy enterprise. A clever arrangement, naturally. The utility side provides a dependable, if uninspiring, income stream. The renewables arm offers the promise of growth, of participating in the great technological shift. Though one suspects the shift is more about shifting profits than saving the planet. Still, a little optimism is permissible, even for a pragmatist.

The partnerships with Google and Meta are noteworthy, of course. Supplying power to the data centers that fuel our collective obsession with information and distraction. It’s a symbiotic relationship, isn’t it? We consume, they compute, NextEra profits. A perfectly modern arrangement. Though one wonders what will remain when the algorithms have consumed everything.

A Reasonable Price for a Quiet Life

The stock isn’t cheap, precisely, but it’s not exorbitant either. A price-to-earnings ratio of around 21. About what one expects for a utility. It’s up 19% year-to-date, which is… pleasant. Though such gains rarely last. The market has a way of correcting these things, of reminding us that nothing is truly secure. Still, it offers a degree of stability, a hedge against the more volatile corners of the market. A small comfort, perhaps, but a comfort nonetheless.

I don’t expect miracles from NextEra. I don’t anticipate a sudden surge in innovation or a dramatic transformation of the energy landscape. I simply anticipate a steady, if unspectacular, return on my investment. A quiet accumulation of capital, a small bulwark against the uncertainties of life. And in the end, isn’t that all one can reasonably ask for?

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2026-01-31 00:42