Jim Cramer says 'take the money and run' on energy titan, up 18%

Jim Cramer has flipped on NextEra Energy, and we will get to the why before dismissing it as a Lightning Round soundbite.

This was a "Mad Money" call on Sept. 16, after someone asked what to do with NextEra.

This is not a stock Cramer has historically disliked. In fact, NextEra Energy has been one of the most widely praised utilities in America. It's the largest electric power and energy infrastructure company in North America and a leading provider of electricity to American homes and businesses.

It has also grown its dividend for years and has frequently been cited as a rare utility that behaved like a growth stock.

Let's look at the specific catalysts that led Cramer to turn bearish.

Take the money and run.… That's not a good stock to own.

NextEra Energy (NEE) is up 18.40% over the past year and 2.30% year to date, according to Yahoo Finance . Yet Cramer just said the one-year gain is the exit opportunity.

The NextEra macro environment that changed Cramer's view

The most straightforward reason Cramer is bearish on NextEra now? Interest rates.

On Sept. 16, 2026, we saw the central bank's first interest rate hike since July 2023 (3.75% to 4.00%) to curb persistent inflation driven by geopolitical tensions and surging energy costs, Forex Factory reported.

Remember, utilities are bond proxies. Their business models depend on cheap debt to finance enormous capital expenditures, and their dividend yields compete directly with Treasury yields for income-seeking investors.

When the 30-year Treasury yield stays stubbornly elevated (as it is now) and crude oil crosses $100 per barrel, as Trading Economics noted, that competitive dynamic shifts decisively against utilities.

The 42-year-old NextEra carries a heavy debt burden to fund renewable infrastructure buildouts. Total debt as of June 30, 2026, stands at $110.20 billion, the company reported.

At higher rates, that debt costs more to service, squeezing margins. Simultaneously, NextEra's approximately 3% dividend yield, confirmed by MacroTrends , looks far less compelling when risk-free government bonds offer competitive yields without the equity-volatility risk.

The capital-flow logic that makes utility stocks attractive during low-rate environments runs in reverse when rates remain high.