Latest news with #utilities
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Up 1,300% over 5 years, this still has to be one of the cheapest stocks in the UK
Yü Group (LSE:YU) has been one of the most remarkable success stories on the AIM market in recent years. The energy and utility supplier, which focuses on UK businesses, has seen its share price skyrocket by more than 1,300% over the past five years. Despite this rise, I still believe it's one of the cheapest stocks in the UK. Yü Group's most recent results for 2024 were nothing short of impressive. Revenue surged by 40% to £645.5m, driven by a 78% increase in energy volumes supplied and a near doubling of market share to 2.7%. The company's ability to win new customers and scale up its smart metering operations is very exciting. Notably, Yü Group entered 2025 with £566m in contracted revenue already secured, a figure that represents a 9% increase on the previous year. Management has guided for full-year revenue in 2025 to reach between £730m and £760m, with consensus forecasts pointing to continued double-digit growth in subsequent years. Profitability is rising alongside revenue. Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) in 2024 climbed 11% to £48.8m, while profit before tax increased by 12% to £44.5m. Earnings per share (EPS) also rose, reaching 210p on an adjusted, fully diluted basis. Looking ahead, analyst estimates suggest that net income will rise from £39.8m in 2024 to £46.5m in 2026, with basic EPS forecast to increase from 222p to 266p over the same period. This strong earnings momentum is also reflected in the dividend. The board increased the full-year payout by 50% to 60p per share in 2024 and is expected to lift this further to 84p in 2025, 90p in 2026, and 95p in 2027. This equates to 3.3% yield today, rising to 5.1% for 2027. Yü Group's cash generation is another key strength. Net cash rose to £80.2m in 2024, supported by a hedging agreement with Shell Energy Europe that removed the need for cash collateral. Forecasts suggest net cash will reach £117m by 2025 and could rise to £168m by 2027. Despite these impressive numbers, Yü Group's valuation remains undemanding. The shares trade at just 7.5 times forecast earnings for 2025, falling to seven times for 2026. Enterprise value-to-EBITDA is similarly low, dropping from 3.3 times in 2025 to just 2.1 times by 2027. These are multiples more commonly associated with mature, slow-growth utility stocks and not with a company delivering double-digit revenue and profit growth. Of course, there are risks. Energy price volatility could impact revenue per customer. Rapid growth brings its own execution challenges, and the UK energy market remains highly competitive. Regulatory changes could also affect profitability. It's also AIM-listed, which does mean it can go under the market's radar. Nonetheless, the company's disciplined approach to growth and impressive cash position provide reassurance. I had previously suggested that I liked this company but it wasn't the type of stock I typically invest in. However, it's certainly a business I'm going to keep a closer eye on. I may even change my mind and invest. The post Up 1,300% over 5 years, this still has to be one of the cheapest stocks in the UK appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool James Fox has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
Digital Trends
3 days ago
- Business
- Digital Trends
Apple needs to fix the basics for macOS 26, or let AI run the show
The Mac apps community is a wonderful place to find utilities that can supercharge your computing experience. Alfred, Raycast, AlDente, and Rectangle are some of the most highly recommended apps for macOS users these days. The open-source community has also produced a few utilities (and their forks) that I use on a daily basis. If you read between the lines, you'll notice that these apps fill a functional gap that Apple has yet to offer natively. On the other side of the computing ecosystem, Windows has served those perks for years. Will the next big software upgrade, macOS 26, finally give users an in-house fix? We'll only get the answer at WWDC 2025 in just over a week from now. Recommended Videos What if Apple is still reluctant? In that case, I hope macOS 26 delivers something even bolder, preferably with AI taking the lead and easing up mundane tasks. Apple doesn't have to weave some cosmic quantum-tier magic to achieve that. It just needs to look around and build a few tricks of its own. Imagine Copilot, but under the Apple Intelligence banner. Why should Apple even care? That's a pertinent question. I'll keep things tethered to the very fundamental levels of computing here. Remember clipboard history? Well, macOS still lacks a native clipboard. Why does the world's most consolidated computing OS lack something as basic as a clipboard? Only the Apple overlords know. What I do know is that an absent clipboard is deeply frustrating. For someone whose life revolves around words, copy-pasting terms such as CVE-2025-24126 and a half dozen variations of it, dealing with research citations, and more such repetitive chores, I am exhausted with the Cmd+C and Cmd+V cycle. I hate it. On Windows, the universal clipboard copies text as well as media assets. It's a huge relief, and anyone who works with tools such as Office and Workspace would vouch for that. Some users argue that a clipboard can save sensitive information. Well, first of all, you shouldn't be copy-pasting passwords. Second, you can selectively delete sensitive entries or set up an auto-delete protocol for the clipboard. Apple is known for its privacy-first approach, and it certainly has the world-class talent to work on an elegant solution that offers the best of both worlds. Until then, I'll keep recommending excellent third-party alternatives such as Maccy. The problems run deep Window management in Mac still feels extremely limited, especially if you are working on external screens. On the other hand, the resizing and tiling approach in Windows is far ahead. Once again, the developer community comes to the rescue. So far, Swift Shift has been my go-to app for window management in macOS. It's a free, open-source app that makes the process of tiling and resizing app windows far less frustrating than the vanilla macOS experience. Lately, I've also experimented with Loop and have fallen in love with its intuitive approach. It's surprising that Apple is yet to find a utilitarian side to the MacBook's notch. Free apps, such as the Boring Notch, have turned it into an activity hub that handles everything from music playback and calendar viewing to file sharing and camera preview. Apple hasn't paid any attention to the cluttered menu bar situation, and once again, it's third-party apps that help fix the mess. Apple has seemingly condemned even basic facilities like a scratch pad for macOS. I recently tried Antinote and realized just how much ground macOS still has left to cover. Also, when are screenshots going to appear on my clipboard, ye trillion-dollar company? It's pretty surprising, especially when you notice that Apple sees macOS and iPadOS as somewhat of a wannabe proxies that deliver their own unique flavor of computing. And yet, macOS is deprived of even the most basic iPadOS features. Native icon theming, lock screen customization, and deeper widget controls are a few features that should've appeared on macOS by now. Likewise, I could use the flexibility of setting different dock layouts for each desktop or work profile. Once again, a third-party app will let you do just that. And while at it, Apple should simply port over the control center adjustments from iPadOS to Mac, and go a step further by giving a similar treatment to the Menu bar. AI to the rescue? Alright, that's a long wishlist. In hindsight, given how basic those feature gaps are, if Apple hasn't addressed them so far, it's unlikely that WWDC 2025 will see a solution for them all. I am not holding my breath, either. So, what next? Well, macOS 26 is reportedly getting a design overhaul. Moreover, Apple is also rumored to make some big AI announcements. macOS desperately needs some of that. Now, I am not riding the AI hype train. But there are scenarios where it proves to be helpful almost on a daily basis. Deep Research is my favorite. A close second is NotebookLM. I regularly rely on Gemini to break down complex research papers and turn them into interactive podcasts for better knowledge gathering. MacOS could use some of that magic, but baked at a more fundamental level, and with some guardrails in place. Apple already has a partnership in place with OpenAI, one that has integrated ChatGPT within the Apple Intelligence stack. Apple needs to shift gears now and expand AI access within other apps, both in-house and third-party. Look no further than Gemini's integration within Workspace and Copilot fingerprints across the Windows 11 OS. I recently tried Windows Recall on a Copilot PC and couldn't stop dreaming about a similar system for macOS. Apple's M-series silicon definitely offers enough firepower to bring a 'memory bank for Macs' to life. Apple is reportedly in talks to extend its in-house models to developers, so I'm hopeful of some positive developments coming out of WWDC 2025. With the current state of macOS, Apple desperately needs to pay attention. It can either fill the existing gaps or develop breakthrough features, or piggyback on the AI race and redefine how we get work done in the age of AI. We are already at a point where AI agents like ChatGPT Operator, Project Astra, and Mariner are redefining how we interact with phones and get work done across the internet. macOS 26 needs that eureka moment. I'd be happier if Apple took the latter route and offered it with a privacy-first approach. Apple certainly can pull it off. It's just a matter of how and when that happens.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Alberta regulator orders ATCO to repay $71-million to customers
Alberta utilities and logistics firm ATCO Ltd. ACO-X-T has been ordered to refund $71-million to customers, the latest development in a long-running dispute between the company and the provincial watchdog over electricity rates. But this week's decision by the Alberta Utilities Commission is far from the end of the regulatory tussle. ATCO chief executive officer Nancy Southern told shareholders at the company's annual meeting recently that ATCO intends to challenge the commission over the issue in the Alberta Court of Appeal in October. At the heart of the case is the commission's electricity rate-setting formula, called performance-based regulation. The formula is designed to encourage efficiency by providing incentives for utility companies to reduce costs. The more efficiently a utility operates, the more money it saves. Those savings are then shared with customers through lower utility rates. ATCO Electric fined $3-million for unearned rate increases, overstating its costs ATCO delivered $500-million in distribution-cost savings, which is being passed on to customers. But the commission found that those savings could not be clearly attributed to specific utility projects, programs or initiatives, as required by the commission's rules. Instead, it said that much of ATCO's savings were the result of operational changes, such as its decision not to pursue certain capital projects. The commission's judgement has come in two phases. The first, released last May, ruled that ATCO's utility rates in 2021 or 2022 'were not just and reasonable.' ATCO was granted a court appeal on that decision. The $71-million refund announced this week is the second phase of the commission's process. It separated the refund into $35-million for ATCO Electric customers, and $36-million for customers of ATCO Gas. That equates to roughly $14 per month for ATCO Electric customers for a six-month period, and $3.83 per month for ATCO Gas customers. Paul Barry, the executive director of the Industrial Power Consumers Association of Alberta, said Thursday his group was hoping for closer to $100-million for just the ATCO Electric side of the decision. Still, he's pleased some cash will be returned to customers. 'We view it as a positive, and it is setting a precedent that's a clear example of the commission seeking to hold utilities accountable,' Mr. Barry said. At ATCO's general meeting, Ms. Southern applauded the commission for implementing performance-based regulation. But, she told shareholders, ATCO and the commission have a 'major difference of opinion' in the way that the rules are applied. 'We believe we were operating within the regulatory framework,' she said. Jason Sharpe, ATCO's chief operating officer, said that ATCO had in fact built more efficient operations and lowered its rates. He said ATCO believes the commission is applying rules of performance-based regulation retroactively, hence the court challenge. The refund is to be delivered to customers over six months, beginning in September, the commission ruled. That's particularly prickly timing for the company, Mr. Sharpe said, given it overlaps with the court challenge. Mr. Sharpe said multiple requests to defer the refund decision until after the case goes through the Court of Appeal were denied by the commission. 'In our opinion, this is a premature refund until it's gone through the full appeal process,' he said, adding that it could create confusion for customers if the court finds in ATCO's favour. The commission would not comment on Wednesday's decision, but this isn't the first time it has ruled against ATCO. In 2022, ATCO was penalized $31-million after it deliberately overpaid a First Nation group for work on a new transmission line in 2018, and then failed to disclose the reasons when it applied to be reimbursed by ratepayers for the extra cost. Mr. Sharpe pointed said the latest decision 'very different,' in that it is a refund, not a penalty, and boils down to different views on how rules are applied.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Bridging The Fleet Electrification Interconnection Gap
Across the country, fleets are making moves to electrify, driven by operational cost savings and other factors. But while electric vehicles are increasingly rolling off production lines, a major bottleneck is slowing progress: connecting to the grid can be a long and complicated process. The term 'interconnection' refers to the steps required to connect EV charging infrastructure to the local power grid. It involves everything from grid studies and transformer upgrades to permitting and utility approvals. And while the typical timeline for site preparation and EV charging installation is relatively short, adding grid side upgrades may mean years of waiting, depending on the region, utility resources, and project complexity. That timeline doesn't match the pace of electrification. According to ICF's latest forecast, total electricity demand is now projected to grow 25% by 2030—up from a previous 18% projection by 2033—and by 78% by 2050. Demand is accelerating faster than expected, and infrastructure must keep up. Electric school buses and charging stations at a fleet yard in California Interconnection delays are one of the most common challenges facing fleets and charging developers. Many projects come to a halt due to a lack of sufficient electrical capacity at the site while others encounter unique site-specific circumstances that have nothing to do with the utility. And as EV deployment continues, the complexity of the problem increases. From investor-owned to municipal, each utility operates differently. Some offer comprehensive make-ready programs, transparent capacity maps, and hands-on technical assistance, while others are still building out their internal expertise. Either way, the result is often the same: vehicle miles cannot be electrified if the infrastructure isn't online. In response, fleets and developers are adopting solutions to work within existing utility or site constraints while maximizing their electrification using available infrastructure capacity. One increasingly viable option is flexible interconnection, or a flexible service connection in the EV context. This model enables managed charging, dynamic energy use, and more intelligent infrastructure deployment. A flexible connection allows customers to collaborate with their utility to decide how much extra power they really need rather than simply assuming the highest potential need and waiting for a yes or no answer. And it gives utilities a new tool to serve customers who are electrifying faster than the grid can be upgraded. Many organizations are leveraging hardware and software tools to use existing grid capacity more efficiently. One leader in this space is The Mobility House, which works with fleets to intelligently manage energy loads and optimize charging. 'Most utilities are not set up to proactively study how much capacity a specific fleet actually needs or can access,' said Sam Hill-Cristol, Director of Business Development and Strategy at The Mobility House. 'That's where charging management systems come in. The right CMS can be used to merge customer and utility constraints.' These systems use predictive analytics and automated load management to match charging demand with available power capacity to meet fleet mobility. This can function as a 'bridge to wires,' allowing fleet electrification to proceed while the utility completes needed infrastructure upgrades. In some cases, the solutions can even defer or avoid infrastructure improvements altogether, especially when paired with smart controls, dynamic scheduling, or battery storage. States like California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, and New York are advancing programs and policy shifts to encourage more adaptive interconnection approaches and proactive engagement between the utility and customers seeking to electrify. And with new industry technical standards (such as UL 3141) for power control systems on the horizon, utilities will soon have more assurance that customers can respect agreed-upon energy use limits and patterns. The largest operator of electric school buses in North America, First Student, is putting other innovative strategies to work. The company has 450 electric buses on the road today, 1,500 more on order, and a target of 30,000 by 2035. Kevin Matthews, Head of Electrification at First Student, brings decades of experience in grid planning and vehicle-grid-integration. 'Infrastructure is what enables EVs to execute the fleet's mission,' he said. 'So, the first call we make when evaluating a new site is to the utility.' First Student currently works with 126 utilities across North America, ranging from sophisticated IOUs to small rural co-ops. Despite this diversity, Matthews says the company has never abandoned a project due to interconnection challenges. To help stay ahead of the curve while addressing challenges such as leased property where permanent infrastructure isn't feasible, First Student developed FirstCharge. This modular system can be relocated, scaled up, and even comes pre-wired for stationary storage to help offset demand charges. 'We're seeing cost reductions of up to 30%,' Matthews notes. 'It's practical, it's flexible, and now we're offering it to other school bus fleets as a service.' Companies like First Student and The Mobility House are on the leading edge, constantly gaining insights that contribute to a clearer picture of what a friction-less interconnection process could look like. 'When a fleet submits an interconnection request for X megawatts of power that isn't currently available, the utility would ideally be in a position to facilitate two options for the customer: wait for the upgrade, or move forward now by tapping into load management solutions,' said Hill-Cristol. 'That future is closer than people think.' Given the pace at which electrification is accelerating, fleets and developers are getting creative to address near-term needs while contributing to industry-wide efforts aiming to improve interconnection for EV charging. By investing in technology that makes charging smarter, more responsive, and grid-aligned, these organizations are demonstrating what's possible when we manage the grid not as a constraint—but as a partner.
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Record US clean power run rolls on through May: Maguire
(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.) LITTLETON, Colorado - The U.S. power system is on track to produce more electricity from clean power sources than from fossil fuels for the third straight month in May, establishing a record-long stretch for clean power generation in the country. Clean power sources provided the majority of U.S. electricity supplies for the first time in March of this year, according to data from think tank Ember, and extended that run in April thanks to record renewable energy output. The lowest natural gas-fired generation total in three years also helped ensure clean energy's majority share in April, and further declines in gas power output so far this month look set to keep that trend going in May. Greater demand for air conditioning systems over the summer may force utilities to elevate fossil fuel-based output from June onwards. But the current three-month stretch of clean power dominance marks a new milestone in U.S. energy transition efforts, and highlights a growing adeptness within generation networks at maximising clean energy output while curtailing fossil fuel use. CLEAN MAJORITY After generating 50.5% of U.S. utility-supplied electricity in March, clean energy sources accounted for 50.8% of electricity in April, Ember data shows. Big year-over-year increases in output from solar farms (+33%) and hydro dams (+24%) helped lift total clean electricity output by 8% in April from the same month a year ago. Gas-fired electricity generation in April was 6% lower than in the same month in 2024, further helping to stack generation trends in favour of clean power. So far in May, data from LSEG indicate that clean energy sources continue to have the upper hand. From May 1 through May 27, LSEG data shows that solar power output is up by 19% from the same dates in 2024, to a record 883,000 megawatt hours (MWh). That increase in solar output helped offset a 7% year-over-year decline in output from wind farms so far this month, and helped push total supplies from renewable energy sources to a new record. On the fossil fuel side of the output ledger natural gas underwent a further year-over-year contraction, with gas-fired output at just under 4.3 million MWh for the May 1-27 window, and the smallest for that period in at least three years. Coal-fired power output showed a modest 2% expansion so far in May from the same month a year ago, but overall fossil fuel power output is on track for a 9% fall from May 2024. FOSSIL FLUX The sustained high price of natural gas - which is the largest single power source within the U.S. electricity system - has been a supportive factor behind the recent clean streak. So far in 2025, benchmark U.S. Henry Hub natural gas futures have averaged $3.70 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). That average price is 77% above where Henry Hub values averaged over the same period of 2024, and means that power generators were motivated to cut back on gas use whenever possible so far this year. Utilities with generation portfolios that contain renewable power were able to deploy maximum volumes of clean energy while curtailing gas-fired production, thereby saving on costs while lifting the proportion of clean power to new highs. Power generators with more limited renewable supplies opted to boost coal-fired generation sharply higher so far this year, which also provided scope for cuts to the use of pricey gas. Total generation from gas-fired power stations is down around 8% so far this year from the same dates in 2024, while coal-fired plant production is around 15% higher, according to LSEG. SUMMER STRAIN Power generation from solar farms - which have been by far the fastest growing energy source in recent years - looks set to hit fresh highs as the U.S. summer kicks in. Solar's share of the overall electricity generation mix appears on track to climb from just under 11% in April to around 12% to 14% in the coming months as solar radiation levels peak. However, greater use of power-hungry air conditioners will put utilities on the hook to ensure that power supplies meet the heightened demand levels, even when the sun doesn't shine. That will likely serve to lift the proportion of fossil fuels within the overall generation mix, and potentially push clean power's share below 50% again during the hottest months of the year. But with solar and battery storage capacity still expanding within U.S. networks, clean power's share of the generation mix should remain close to 50%, and could re-emerge as the primary power source once demand for cooling systems dips in the fall. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters. (Reporting by Gavin Maguire; Editing by Sonali Paul)
