Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, electric utility Westar Energy (WR) has earned a respected four-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Westar and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Westar facts
Headquarters (founded) |
Topeka, Kan. (1924) |
Market Cap |
$4.1 billion |
Industry |
Electric utilities |
Trailing-12-Month Revenue |
$2.3 billion |
Management |
CEO Mark Ruelle CFO Anthony Somma |
Return on Capital (average, past 3 years) |
9.5% |
Cash/Debt |
$5.6 million / $3.4 billion |
Dividend Yield |
4.1% |
Competitors |
Ameren Great Plains Energy Xcel Energy |
On CAPS, 96% of the 4,521 members who have rated Westar believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just yesterday, one of those Fools, hend6, succinctly summed up Westar bull case for our community:
As the market might slow, an energy company is poised to stay strong. Consistent earnings with a nice dividend yield, albeit a high payout ratio. That can be expected from this industry though. Balance sheet leans toward a low current ratio, but a high ratio of long-term assets-to-liabilities is comforting. We'll see how the market fares in the next year and keep holding on or let go at that time.