Williams Partners and More Big Movers in Utilities on December 12, 2012

The Nasdaq remains relatively unchanged, the S&P 500 has risen 0.2% and the Dow is trading up 0.2% after the morning's trading. 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.

The Utilities sector (XLU) has moved up 0.3% so far today and here are its biggest movers:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Atlantic (NYSE:AT)	$1.38 billion	-1.8%
Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ)	$16.76 billion	-1.5%
NiSource (NYSE:NI)	$7.49 billion	+1.3%
Atlas (NYSE:ATLS)	$1.72 billion	-1.1%
American Water Works Co (NYSE:AWK)	$6.7 billion	+1.1%
Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP)	$12.57 billion	+1.1%
Crestwood Midstream (NYSE:CMLP)	$1.1 billion	-1.1%

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Slipping 1.8%, Atlantic (NYSE:AT) is currently trading at $11.40 per share. So far today, the company's volume is 372,554 shares.

Williams Partners (NYSE:WPZ) is down 1.5% to reach $46.48 per share. The company is currently trading a volume of 268,355 shares.

NiSource (NYSE:NI) has risen 1.3% and is currently trading at $24.49 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 929,207 shares, 0.4 times its average over the past three months.

At $33.02, Atlas (NYSE:ATLS) has slipped 1.1%. The company's volume for the morning is 48,960 shares. This is 0.2 times its current daily average.

After an increase of 1.1%, American Water Works Co (NYSE:AWK) has reached a current price of $38.35. The company's volume is currently 275,402 shares for the day, which is likely to result in less activity than yesterday's volume of 728,564 shares.

Huaneng Power International, Inc (NYSE:HNP) has increased to a share price of $36.14, a 1.1% rise. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 19,931 shares.

Crestwood Midstream (NYSE:CMLP) is trading at $22.50 per share, down 1.1%. So far today, the company's volume is 43,929 shares, 0.4 times the average volume over the last three months.

The Bottom Line On any given day, a particular stock may see positive or negative change in its share price. Daily stock performance should be weighed against historical performance and put in context of the market overall. Keep in mind that all these ratios should be compared against historical numbers and industry information in order to get a more complete picture.