NextEra Energy (NEE +0.10%) made big waves this week, announcing a megadeal to acquire Dominion Energy (D 0.30%) in an all-stock transaction valued at $66.8 billion, pending approval. As with any gigantic merger or acquisition, investors are trying to understand what this will mean for their holdings.
NYSE: NEE
Key Data Points
One thing NextEra's investors should know about this deal is that it will make the combined company the world's leading renewable energy operator. Moreover, because of the sheer size and scale, it will also solidify NextEra's position as the second-largest nuclear power operator and largest natural gas utility in the U.S.
Image source: Getty Images.
There are also risks involved with a deal of this magnitude. In the short term, the financial implications of this acquisition may put real pressure on NextEra's balance sheet. There's significant integration risk in bringing Dominion under the NextEra umbrella. The all-stock transaction will also dilute current NextEra shareholders.
The short-term pain of integration and other operational risks is real, but investors should remain patient. In the long term, NextEra will have the opportunity to maintain market dominance and grow its energy business like never before. The price the company and shareholders will have to pay in the interim may hurt a bit, but it will be worth it over the course of several years.
NextEra's share price fell slightly on the news, but as of this writing, it's rebounded. NextEra is trading around $90 per share, about 9% below its 52-week high.
