NextEra Energy (NEE) Stock: AI Data Center Boom and 8% EPS Growth Target Power December 2025 Outlook

As of the evening of December 9, 2025, NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is trading around $80.04 per share, down slightly on the day after a sharp burst of news about AI data center deals, new grid projects, and a refreshed long‑term earnings roadmap. ^[1]

Across just a couple of days, the company has:

Expanded partnerships with Google Cloud, Meta Platforms and ExxonMobil to power massive AI data center campuses. ^[2]
Tightened and raised its 2025–2026 earnings guidance and extended an 8%+ adjusted EPS growth target through 2035. ^[3]
Won a recommendation for a 220‑mile, 765‑kV transmission “superhighway” in partnership with Exelon to move up to 7 GW of power across Pennsylvania and West Virginia. ^[4]
Announced a deal to acquire Symmetry Energy Solutions, expanding its U.S. natural gas marketing footprint just as AI power demand takes off. ^[5]

At the same time, Wall Street has been updating models and price targets, and short‑interest data shows a small but rising cohort of skeptics. ^[6]

Below is a detailed, news‑driven look at NextEra Energy stock as of December 9, 2025—covering the latest announcements, forecasts, and market sentiment.

Key Takeaways for NextEra Energy (NEE) Stock

Stock price & performance: NEE trades near $80, having gained roughly 12–16% year‑to‑date, outperforming many utility peers. ^[7]
AI data center strategy: New multi‑gigawatt partnerships with Google and Meta position NextEra as a key power provider to AI data centers, with plans for at least 15 GW of new generation by 2035 dedicated to data center hubs—and potentially much more. ^[8]
Grid and transmission growth: A 220‑mile 765‑kV line recommended by PJM, built with Exelon, could move about 7 GW of power and support a $92 billion power‑generation investment plan in Pennsylvania, boosting regulated transmission rate base. ^[9]
Earnings outlook: Management now guides 2025 adjusted EPS to $3.62–$3.70 and 2026 to $3.92–$4.02, and targets at least 8% annual adjusted EPS growth through 2035, with dividend growth of ~10% annually through 2026 and ~6% in 2027–2028 (board permitting). ^[10]
Analyst view: Consensus 12‑month price targets cluster around $90–$91 per share, implying roughly 12–14% upside, with most firms rating the stock Buy / Strong Buy. ^[11]
Risks & sentiment: Short interest has risen but remains modest at about 1.6% of float, while the company leans into gas and nuclear alongside renewables—drawing regulatory, environmental and execution risk as it scales up for AI demand. ^[12]

NextEra Energy Stock Price Today and Valuation

On December 9, 2025, NextEra Energy shares trade around $80.04, with an intraday range of about $80.01 to $81.13 on volume of more than 7.3 million shares.

Using the mid‑point of management’s updated 2025 EPS guidance ($3.66 per share), NEE trades at roughly:

~22× 2025 adjusted EPS, and
~20× 2026 adjusted EPS, based on the mid‑point of the $3.92–$4.02 range. ^[13]

For a utility, those multiples are on the higher side, but investors are clearly paying a premium for:

Above‑average earnings and dividend growth,
A huge renewables and storage backlog, and
Increasing exposure to high‑margin large‑load customers, particularly AI and cloud data centers. ^[14]

AI Data Center Deals With Google and Meta: A New Growth Engine

The biggest story driving NEE this week is its expanding role as an AI infrastructure partner for Big Tech.

Google Cloud Partnership

On December 8, NextEra and Alphabet’s Google Cloud announced an expanded deal to:

Develop multiple new large‑scale data center campuses across the U.S.
Pair each campus with new power plants rather than relying solely on existing grid capacity.
Launch an AI‑powered product by mid‑2026 to predict equipment problems and optimize grid operations, using Google Cloud’s AI tools. ^[15]

The companies already have about 3.5 GW of generation in operation or contracted—enough to power roughly 2.5 million homes. ^[16]

NextEra told investors it expects to add at least 15 GW of new generation by 2035 just for data center hubs and suggested that figure could double to 30 GW depending on demand, underlining management’s description of a “golden age of power demand.” ^[17]

Meta Platforms Clean‑Energy Contracts

Separately, NextEra has signed 11 power purchase agreements and two storage deals with Meta Platforms, totaling more than 2.5 GW of clean energy projects scheduled to enter service between 2026 and 2028. ^[18]

According to an analysis by Investopedia, these deals helped justify raising NextEra’s 2025 and 2026 profit outlooks and contributed to a roughly 12% year‑to‑date gain in the stock, even though NEE slipped about 3% immediately after the announcement alongside broader market weakness. ^[19]

Exxon and Gas‑Backed Bridge Power

To complement its renewables build‑out, NextEra is also working with ExxonMobil on a 1.2‑GW natural‑gas plant with carbon capture in the U.S. Southeast, targeted at data center customers and located near Exxon’s CO₂ pipeline network. ^[20]

E&E News reports that NextEra is:

Targeting 15 GW of new generation by 2035 to power at least 20 data center hubs, with the potential to scale to 40 hubs.
Exploring an additional 1,450‑MW gas plant in North Dakota (River Run Energy Center) with Basin Electric for another multi‑gigawatt data center campus. ^[21]

The net effect: NextEra is positioning itself as the utility behind the AI boom, selling power directly to hyperscalers through “bring‑your‑own‑generation (BYOG)” style arrangements, where tech companies co‑finance or contract for dedicated generation. ^[22]

Transmission “Superhighway”: Pennsylvania–West Virginia Project

In parallel with its data center push, NextEra is winning large regulated projects. On December 8, the regional grid operator PJM Interconnection recommended NextEra Energy Transmission and Exelon to build a major 765‑kV transmission line as part of its 2025 Regional Transmission Expansion Plan. ^[23]

Key details from the company’s release:

Length: About 220 miles of 765‑kV high‑voltage line.
Capacity: Can move around 7 GW of power, while 765‑kV technology carries 2–3× more power than 500‑kV lines and cuts losses by roughly 50%. ^[24]
Economic backdrop: The project supports Pennsylvania’s roughly $92 billion plan for new power generation across the state and aligns with broader AI‑and‑industry‑driven investment initiatives. ^[25]
Timeline: PJM’s board is expected to vote on the project in early 2026. ^[26]

For NEE shareholders, this project would feed into the company’s regulated transmission rate base, typically offering long‑duration, relatively low‑risk earnings streams that complement the more cyclical renewables and merchant energy businesses.

Symmetry Energy Acquisition: Growing the Gas and Customer Supply Business

On the same day as its investor conference, NextEra Energy Resources announced an agreement to acquire Symmetry Energy Solutions from Energy Capital Partners. ^[27]

Closing: Expected in Q1 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals.
Business: Symmetry is a major retail natural gas supplier, serving commercial, industrial and institutional customers across multiple U.S. markets. ^[28]
Strategic rationale: E&E News notes that NextEra aims to build 4–8 GW of new gas generation by 2032 and is partnering with gas producers like Comstock Resources to supply up to 8 GW of gas and storage generation in Texas—Symmetry fits neatly into that emerging gas‑and‑AI ecosystem. ^[29]

The acquisition enhances NextEra’s ability to offer integrated solutions—combining power generation, gas supply, storage and transmission for large customers, including data centers and industrial loads.

Updated Earnings Guidance and Long‑Term Growth Targets

NextEra’s refreshed guidance—disclosed in SEC filings, investor presentations and news coverage—is arguably the most important datapoint for valuation. ^[30]

2025–2026 EPS Outlook

The company now expects:

2025 adjusted EPS:$3.62–$3.70 per share (up from $3.45–$3.70 previously).
2026 adjusted EPS:$3.92–$4.02 per share (up from $3.63–$4.00). ^[31]

Management has said it would be “disappointed” not to deliver results at or near the top end of its EPS ranges through 2027. ^[32]

8%+ EPS Growth Through 2035

In a Form 8‑K and related commentary, NextEra laid out a high‑visibility growth runway: ^[33]

Targeting compound annual growth in adjusted EPS of at least 8% from the 2025 range through 2035.
Extending its prior through‑2032 growth target by three years to 2035.
Backing that plan with a large renewables and storage backlog—almost 30 GW as of late October 2025—and expanding transmission and gas plans. ^[34]

Dividend Growth Roadmap

The same filing outlines a dividend growth strategy (subject to board approval): ^[35]

About 10% annual dividend per share growth through 2026, off a 2024 base.
About 6% annual growth in 2027–2028, off a 2026 base.

This combination—mid‑teens total return potential if EPS and dividends track targets—helps explain why investors often treat NEE more like a growth stock with a dividend than a traditional slow‑growing utility.

Analyst Forecasts and Price Targets for NEE Stock

Wall Street has been quick to update models in response to the new guidance and AI deals.

Consensus Targets

Two major aggregators show broadly similar views:

MarketBeat:
- Average 12‑month price target:$91.11
- Range: $77 to $100
- Implied upside: ~13.8% from a reference price of $80.08
- Consensus rating: Moderate Buy based on 21 analyst targets. ^[36]
MLQ.ai (analyst aggregation):
- Consensus target:$90.11
- Range: $78 to $100
- Median: $90
- Implied upside: ~12.6% from $80.04. ^[37]

Recent Notable Calls

According to MLQ.ai and Investing.com:

BTIG set the most recent target at $100 on December 9, 2025. ^[38]
UBS reiterated a Buy rating with a $96 target, highlighting that recent announcements are “overall positive” despite modest share price consolidation; NEE is up about 15.9% year‑to‑date, outpacing the Dow Jones Utility Average. ^[39]
Other firms including Argus, Barclays, Wells Fargo, Evercore ISI, Jefferies, New Street, Mizuho and BTIG cluster between the mid‑$80s and high‑$90s. ^[40]

TipRanks classifies NEE as a “Strong Buy”, with 16 analysts in the past 3 months issuing 12 Buy and 4 Hold ratings, and zero Sells. ^[41]

Taken together, the street largely views NextEra as a premium‑valued, high‑growth utility with meaningful upside tied to AI and data center demand—tempered by valuation, execution and regulatory risks.

Market Sentiment: Short Interest and Volatility

Fresh data from Benzinga shows that short interest in NEE has risen 11.9% since the prior report: ^[42]

Shares sold short: about 29.95 million
Short interest as % of float:1.6%
Days to cover: roughly 3.4 days based on average volume

That’s well below the peer‑group average short interest of around 3.8% of float, suggesting that while some traders are betting against the recent run‑up and rich valuation, NEE is far from a heavily shorted battleground stock. ^[43]

Regulated Backbone: FPL Rate Agreement in Florida

All of this growth sits on top of a very large, very stable regulated utility: Florida Power & Light (FPL).

On November 20, 2025, Florida regulators approved a four‑year rate agreement for FPL covering 2026–2029 that: ^[44]

Keeps typical residential bills well below the U.S. average through decade‑end.
Allows FPL to invest in new generation and battery storage to serve an expected 335,000 new customers by 2030.
Funds continued investments in smart grid technology, with FPL’s reliability already about 59% better than the national average.

For NEE shareholders, this provides a relatively predictable earnings base while the company pursues higher‑growth opportunities in renewables, gas, transmission and AI‑linked large‑load customers.

The “Golden Age of Power Demand”

NextEra’s bullish long‑term thesis rests on a simple but powerful idea: U.S. electricity demand is about to accelerate sharply.

According to Barron’s and the company’s own projections:

NextEra expects U.S. power demand to grow nearly 60% by 2045, roughly six times faster than in the past two decades.
AI data centers alone could account for over 40% of the demand increase, with EVs, manufacturing reshoring and electrification doing much of the rest. ^[45]

At its December investor day, CEO John Ketchum described the current environment as the “golden age of power demand,” pointing to: ^[46]

Massive AI data center build‑outs,
Federal and state support for reshoring industrial capacity, and
An “all‑of‑the‑above” strategy spanning renewables, gas, nuclear and storage.

At the same time, the company acknowledges—and environmental groups emphasize—that this AI‑driven build‑out raises serious questions about emissions, water use and local impacts, particularly as gas‑fired capacity expands and some nuclear units restart or extend life. ^[47]

Key Risks for NEE Investors

Even with strong momentum, several risks could impact NextEra’s stock over the coming years:

Execution Risk on AI and Data Center Projects
- Building 15–30 GW of new generation for data centers is a colossal engineering and capital challenge, with siting, permitting and interconnection hurdles. ^[48]
Regulatory and Political Risk
- Transmission lines, nuclear restarts and large gas plants can face intense local and national pushback, especially as data centers become politically charged in key states. ^[49]
Interest Rate and Valuation Risk
- At ~22× 2025 EPS, NEE trades at a premium to many utilities. Higher‑than‑expected interest rates or sector rotations away from defensives could compress this multiple. ^[50]
Commodity and Technology Mix
- The company’s greater reliance on natural gas, even with carbon capture, could expose it to gas price volatility and climate policy risk, while nuclear restarts carry their own operational and regulatory challenges. ^[51]
Environmental and ESG Backlash
- As noted by environmental groups calling for moratoria on data centers, future restrictions or higher environmental costs could slow projects or reduce returns. ^[52]

Is NextEra Energy Stock a Buy Right Now?

From a purely news‑driven and fundamental perspective, several points stand out as of December 9, 2025:

Growth Story: NextEra now offers an unusually long, explicit growth roadmap—8%+ annual EPS growth through 2035, backed by concrete guidance for 2025–2026 and a massive pipeline in renewables, transmission and AI‑related projects. ^[53]
AI Leverage: The fresh deals with Google, Meta and Exxon make NEE one of the most direct utility‑level plays on AI power demand, spanning renewables, gas, nuclear and grid digitalization. ^[54]
Defensive Core: The FPL rate case and long‑lived transmission assets provide stable cash flows that can support continued dividend growth and fund capital spending. ^[55]
Valuation & Risk: The stock’s premium multiple, rising short interest (albeit from a low base), and growing dependence on politically sensitive AI infrastructure mean there is less margin of safety than in a typical regulated utility. ^[56]

For growth‑oriented investors comfortable with utility‑plus‑AI risk, NEE remains one of the highest‑profile ways to bet on long‑term electricity demand in North America. More conservative income investors will need to weigh the higher valuation and project complexity against the appeal of a strong balance sheet, visible dividend growth, and a long record of outperforming peers. ^[57]

Important: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Investors should perform their own research and consider consulting a licensed financial adviser before making investment decisions.