During times of turbulence and uncertainty in the markets, many investors turn to dividend-yielding stocks. These are often companies that have high free cash flows and reward shareholders with a high dividend payout.

Benzinga readers can review the latest analyst takes on their favorite stocks by visiting Analyst Stock Ratings page. Traders can sort through Benzinga's extensive database of analyst ratings, including by analyst accuracy.

Below are the ratings of the most accurate analysts for three high-yielding stocks in the utilities sector.

CMS Energy Corp (NYSE:CMS)

  • Dividend Yield: 3.06%
  • Keybanc analyst Sophie Karp maintained an Overweight rating and raised the price target from $79 to $83 on March 2, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 62%
  • Barclays analyst Nicholas Campanella maintained an Overweight rating and raised the price target from $74 to $79 on Feb. 23, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 70%.
  • Recent News: On Feb. 20, CMS Energy announced that Diane Leopold and Richard Keyes will join the board of directors.
  • Benzinga Pro’s real-time newsfeed alerted to latest CMS news.

Xcel Energy Inc (NASDAQ:XEL)

  • Dividend Yield: 3.08%
  • UBS analyst William Appicelli upgraded the stock from Neutral to Buy and raised the price target from $81 to $89 on Feb. 13, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 69%.
  • Barclays analyst Nicholas Campanella maintained an Overweight rating and slashed the price target from $85 to $82 on Jan. 15, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 70%
  • Recent News: On Feb. 24, Xcel Energy announced it will power a new Google data center in Pine Island, Minnesota.
  • Benzinga Pro's real-time newsfeed alerted to latest XEL news

PPL Corp (NYSE:PPL)

  • Dividend Yield: 3.09%
  • BMO Capital analyst James Thalacker maintained an Outperform and raised the price target from $41 to $42 on March 16, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 80%.
  • Mizuho analyst Anthony Crowdell maintained a Neutral rating and increased the price target from $39 to $40 on March 16, 2026. This analyst has an accuracy rate of 69%.
  • Recent News: On March 13, PPL reached a settlement regarding its first distribution rate increase since 2016.
  • Benzinga Pro’s real-time newsfeed alerted to latest PPL news