Edison and Other Big Movers In Utilities on November 23, 2012

The market is doing well so far today. The Nasdaq has risen 1.3%; the S&P 500 is trading up 1%; and the Dow has moved up 1%. The utilities sector is a category of stocks for utilities such as gas and power. It contains companies such as electric, gas and water firms and integrated providers. Because utilities require significant infrastructure, these firms often carry large amounts of debt. With a high debt load, utilities companies become sensitive to changes in the interest rate. As interest rates rise or drop, the debt payments will increase or decrease. The utilities sector performs best when interest rates are falling or remain low.

Despite a good day for the overall market so far, the Utilities sector (XLU) is down 0.3% and its current biggest movers are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Companhia de Saneamento Basico (NYSE:SBS)	$8.9 billion	+7.8%
Companhia Energetica Minas Gerais (NYSE:CIG)	$9.21 billion	+7.4%
PAA Natural Gas Storage (NYSE:PNG)	$1.54 billion	+2.1%
Inergy (NYSE:NRGM)	$1.75 billion	+1.9%
Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP)	$11.72 billion	-1.7%
DCP Midstream (NYSE:DPM)	$2.51 billion	+1.3%
Edison (NYSE:EIX)	$14.28 billion	-1.1%

Software Summary: Finviz.com Stock Screener

Increasing 7.8%, Companhia de Saneamento Basico (NYSE:SBS) is trading at $84.24 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 310,814 shares.

After an increase of 7.4%, Companhia Energetica Minas Gerais (NYSE:CIG) has reached a current price of $11.60. At 3.9 million shares, the company's volume so far today is 0.8 times its current daily average.

PAA Natural Gas Storage (NYSE:PNG) is at $18.50 per share after an increase of 2.1%. So far today, 12,122 shares of the company's stock have changed hands. At this rate, trading activity will likely be down from yesterday when 140,019 shares changed hands.

After rising 1.9%, Inergy (NYSE:NRGM) is currently trading at a share price of $23.58. With 3,745 shares changing hands so far today, the company's volume is 0.1 times its average over the past three months.

Slipping 1.7%, Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP) is currently trading at $32.81 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 10,324 shares.

Rising 1.3%, DCP Midstream (NYSE:DPM) is currently trading at $41.60 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 11,198 shares, 0.1 times the average daily volume.

At $43.33, Edison (NYSE:EIX) has slipped 1.1%. So far today, the company's volume is 414,876 shares. This is on pace to fall short of yesterday's volume of 2.4 million shares.

The Bottom Line On any given day, a particular stock may see positive or negative change in its share price. It is important to weigh current activity against historical performance when making any investment decisions. Keep in mind that all these ratios should be compared against historical numbers and industry information in order to get a more complete picture.