California State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report) by 11,738.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,289,343 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 43,915,218 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 13.59% of WEC Energy Group worth $5,171,667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 16.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,698 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,820,000 after acquiring an additional 2,417 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 41.3% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,839 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,925,000 after acquiring an additional 7,841 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 7.3% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 44,286 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,616,000 after acquiring an additional 3,006 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 477.4% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 333,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $34,756,000 after purchasing an additional 275,786 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 8.8% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 58,364 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,082,000 after purchasing an additional 4,730 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.20% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets In other WEC Energy Group news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.58, for a total transaction of $103,468.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,068,101.04. This represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of brokerages have weighed in on WEC. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $122.00 to $114.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $117.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered WEC Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $110.50 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded WEC Energy Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $126.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.91. Read Our Latest Stock Report on WEC Energy Group
WEC Energy Group Stock Performance Shares of WEC opened at $106.20 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $34.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.10. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.95 and a 12 month high of $119.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.11 billion. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 16.69%.The company’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.76 earnings per share. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a $0.9525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $3.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. WEC Energy Group’s payout ratio is 73.84%.
(Free Report)
WEC Energy Group is a diversified energy holding company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Through its utility subsidiaries, the company generates and distributes electricity and delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers.
WEC Energy Group serves customers primarily in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. Its operating companies include We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Upper Michigan Energy Resources, Minnesota Energy Resources, Michigan Gas Utilities, North Shore Gas, and Peoples Gas.
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Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report) by 16.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 617,881 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 89,140 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.19% of WEC Energy Group worth $72,303,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 972.7% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 113.9% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 246 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Compass Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 77.20% of the company’s stock.
Insider Transactions at WEC Energy Group In other WEC Energy Group news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.58, for a total transaction of $103,468.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 19,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,068,101.04. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $122.00 to $114.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings cut WEC Energy Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded WEC Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $117.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price target on WEC Energy Group from $126.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, WEC Energy Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.91. Read Our Latest Stock Report on WEC Energy Group
WEC Energy Group Price Performance WEC opened at $105.79 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $111.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.47. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.95 and a 52 week high of $119.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.53.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.11. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 16.69%.The company had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.76 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.
WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $0.9525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.84%.
(Free Report)
WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC’s operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.
Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.
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Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,279 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $967,000.
Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 195.1% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 482,309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,864,000 after buying an additional 318,846 shares during the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at $1,155,000. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 8.6% in the second quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 121,431 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,179,000 after acquiring an additional 9,591 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 106.3% during the first quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 44,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,099,000 after purchasing an additional 22,697 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 698,377 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $74,356,000 after purchasing an additional 62,243 shares in the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WEC. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $117.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $126.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $122.00 to $114.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of WEC Energy Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut WEC Energy Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.91.
Read Our Latest Research Report on WEC Insider Transactions at WEC Energy Group In other WEC Energy Group news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 980 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.58, for a total value of $103,468.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 19,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,068,101.04. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.
WEC Energy Group Stock Up 1.5% Shares of NYSE:WEC opened at $107.60 on Tuesday. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $102.95 and a fifty-two week high of $119.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $112.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.70. The company has a market cap of $35.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.85, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.47.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.11. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.69% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.
WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.9525 per share. This represents a $3.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.84%.
(Free Report)
WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC’s operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.
Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.
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It has been about a month since the last earnings report for WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 3.4% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.
But investors have to be wondering, will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is WEC Energy due for a breakout? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.
WEC Q2 Earnings Surpass on Rate Base Growth, Revenues Rise Y/Y
WEC Energy Group reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of 91 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 80 cents by 13.75%. The bottom line also increased 19.74% from the year-ago quarter’s 76 cents, aided by rate base growth and stronger energy infrastructure results.
WEC’s RevenuesOperating revenues of $2.06 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.11 billion by around 2.26%. The top line also increased 2.62% from $2.01 billion recorded in the year-ago quarter.
WEC's Sales and Load TrendsRetail electricity deliveries, excluding the iron ore mine and Very Large Customers, were essentially flat on a reported basis. Small commercial and industrial use declined 0.2%, while large commercial and industrial consumption increased 0.9%. Residential use fell 1.1%.
On a weather-normal basis, retail electricity deliveries, excluding the iron ore mine and Very Large Customers, increased 1.2% during second-quarter 2026. Management said volumes grew across all customer classes and came in slightly ahead of its forecast, though it still expects full-year 2026 weather-normalized sales on this basis to be relatively even with 2025.
Total electric sales volume for the second quarter was 10,150 thousand megawatt-hours, down 4.7% year over year.
WEC's Costs and Operating ResultsTotal operating expenses increased 1.5% year over year to $1.63 billion, primarily reflecting a 3.5% rise in other operation and maintenance expenses to $617.1 million and a 4.3% increase in depreciation and amortization to $384.9 million.
Operating income totaled $432.8 million, up 6.9% from $404.9 million recorded in the year-ago quarter.
Equity earnings from transmission affiliates increased 20.6% to $62.6 million, while other income more than doubled to $61.5 million.
The company incurred interest expense of $228.9 million, up 3.7% from the prior-year level of $220.8 million.
WEC Energy's Balance Sheet and Cash FlowAs of June 30, 2026, WEC had cash and cash equivalents of $50 million compared with $27.6 million as of Dec. 31, 2025.
As of June 30, 2026, long-term debt increased to $19.22 billion from $18.50 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025, while total assets rose to $52.75 billion from $51.52 billion over the same period.
Net cash provided by operating activities increased 9.7% year over year to $2.21 billion in the first six months of 2026.
For the six months ended June 30, 2026, capital expenditures rose 35.9% year over year to $2.08 billion. WEC also expects to issue about $1.1 billion of common equity during 2026.
WEC Energy’s Growth Outlook and Capital PlanWEC Energy reaffirmed its 2026 earnings guidance of $5.51-$5.61 per share, assuming normal weather conditions for the remainder of the year. For the third quarter, management expects earnings of 92-98 cents per share.
The company reaffirmed its long-term annual earnings growth target of 7-8% through 2030 and expects growth to trend toward the upper half of that range beginning in 2028.
WEC's five-year capital plan calls for $37.5 billion of investment through 2030. The program includes $20.3 billion for electric generation, $7.1 billion for gas distribution, $4.7 billion for electric distribution, $4.1 billion for transmission and $1.3 billion for Wisconsin liquefied natural gas capacity.
Data center demand remains central to the outlook. WEC forecasts 2.6 gigawatts of demand from Microsoft's regional development through 2030 and 1.3 gigawatts from the Vantage Data Centers over the next five years.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?Estimates revision followed a downward path over the past two months.
VGM ScoresCurrently, WEC Energy has a subpar Growth Score of D, however its Momentum Score is doing a lot better with a B. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock has a score of C on the value side, putting it in the middle 20% for this investment strategy.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of C. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
Outlook WEC Energy has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.
Advisors Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 6,362 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $743,000.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEC. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 113.9% during the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 246 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in WEC Energy Group by 972.7% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the period. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets Several brokerages have issued reports on WEC. KeyCorp cut their price target on WEC Energy Group from $126.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $122.00 to $114.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of WEC Energy Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded shares of WEC Energy Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $110.50 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $117.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.91.
Check Out Our Latest Report on WEC Energy Group Insider Transactions at WEC Energy Group In other WEC Energy Group news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.58, for a total value of $103,468.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 19,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,068,101.04. This represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
WEC Energy Group Price Performance Shares of NYSE:WEC opened at $106.33 on Friday. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a one year low of $102.95 and a one year high of $119.91. The company has a market cap of $34.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.61, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.71.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.11 billion. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 16.69%.WEC Energy Group’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.76 EPS. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. Research analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.9525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is 73.84%.
(Free Report)
WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC’s operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.
Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.
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, /PRNewswire/ -- WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC) today released its 2025 Corporate Responsibility Report. The report outlines the company's progress in delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy while investing in the infrastructure, generation resources and technologies needed to serve growing customer demand across the Midwest.
The report discusses the company's climate strategy and research into emerging technologies, including hydrogen, natural gas heat pumps, renewable natural gas and long-duration energy storage.
"Our customers count on us every day for the energy that powers their homes, businesses and communities," said Scott Lauber, chairman, CEO and president. "As demand grows across the Midwest, we are making investments to strengthen reliability, support affordability and advance a cleaner energy future. This report shows how we are building for the long term while staying focused on the needs of our customers and communities."
Report highlights
The report highlights WEC Energy Group's investments in a balanced mix of generation resources, including modern natural gas generation, renewable energy and battery storage, to help meet growing electric demand in the region while maintaining essential reliability and flexibility year-round.
The report details the company's $37.5 billion capital plan for 2026 through 2030, including investments in electric generation, natural gas distribution, electric distribution, Wisconsin liquefied natural gas capacity and electric transmission.
Additional highlights in the report:
Supported more than 275,000 customers in energy efficiency programs and helped customers earn nearly $66 million in rebates and incentives. Reported a 53% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from electric generation compared with 2005 levels, while reaffirming the company's long-term goal to achieve net carbon neutral electric generation by 2050. Received the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's Vets Ready Employer Initiative Award for the sixth consecutive year, achieving Gold Level recognition. We Energies was named best in the Upper Midwest for electric reliability performance as part of PA Consulting's 2025 ReliabilityOne® Awards. Provided $19 million through charitable giving programs and foundations, along with $5 million in additional donations to low-income customer programs. Highlighted employee and public safety programs, including efforts to reduce workplace injuries and strengthen community safety outreach. Strengthened the company's talent pipeline through programs and partnerships with organizations such as Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee Area Technical College and the Chicago Urban League. The 2025 Corporate Responsibility Report and additional information on WEC Energy Group's efforts can be found online at www.wecenergygroup.com/csr/.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving 4.8 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
The company's principal utilities are We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Michigan Gas Utilities, Minnesota Energy Resources and Upper Michigan Energy Resources. Another major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants. In addition, WEC Infrastructure LLC owns a fleet of renewable generation facilities in states ranging from South Dakota to Texas.
WEC Energy Group (wecenergygroup.com) is a Fortune 500 company and a component of the S&P 500. The company has approximately 31,000 stockholders of record, 7,000 employees and more than $52 billion of assets.
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning management's expectations and projections regarding environmental and climate strategies, policies and goals; completion of capital projects; sales and customer growth; environmental and other regulations, including associated compliance costs; sources of electric energy supply; capital resources; construction costs, investment opportunities, corporate initiatives; and other matters. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by reference to a future period or periods or by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "guidance," "intends," "may," "objectives," "plans," "possible," "potential," "projects," "should," "targets," "will" or similar terms or variations of these terms.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions, including business and competitive conditions in the company's service territories; timing, resolution and impact of rate cases and other regulatory decisions, including rider reconciliations; the company's ability to continue to successfully integrate the operations of its subsidiaries; availability of the company's generating facilities and/or distribution systems; unanticipated changes in fuel and purchased power costs; key personnel changes; unusual, varying or severe weather conditions; continued industry restructuring and consolidation; continued advances in, and adoption of, new technologies that produce power or reduce power consumption; energy and environmental conservation efforts; electrification initiatives, mandates and other efforts to reduce the use of natural gas; the company's ability to successfully acquire and/or dispose of assets and projects and to execute on its capital plan, including projects related to providing services to data centers and other large-scale customers; terrorist, physical or cyber-security threats or attacks and data security breaches; construction risks; labor disruptions; equity and bond market fluctuations; changes in the company's and its subsidiaries' ability to access the capital markets; changes in tax legislation or our ability to use certain tax benefits and carryforwards; changes in and uncertainty around federal, state, and local legislation and regulation, including changes in rate-setting policies or procedures and environmental standards, in the enforcement of these laws and regulations and in the interpretation of regulations or permit conditions by regulatory agencies; supply chain disruptions; inflation; political or geopolitical developments impacting the global economy, supply chain and fuel prices generally, including as a result of changes to government trade policies, geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and other countries, such as the war with Iran, or other new, protracted or escalating regional or international conflicts; the impact from any health crises, including epidemics and pandemics; current and future litigation and regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries; the ability of the Company to successfully and/or timely adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence; changes in accounting standards; the financial performance of the American Transmission Company as well as projects in which the company's energy infrastructure business invests; the ability of the company to obtain additional generating capacity at competitive prices; goodwill and its possible impairment; and other factors described under the heading "Factors Affecting Results, Liquidity and Capital Resources" in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and under the headings "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" contained in the company's Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2025, and in subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as may be required by law, the company expressly disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.
WEC Energy Group is upgraded to a buy, reflecting stable fundamentals, robust Q2 cash flow, and long-term CAPEX tied to AI-driven energy demand. WEC's $37.5B CAPEX through 2030 supports data center growth in Wisconsin, with cash generation funding 100% of recent capital expenditures. Q2 EPS beat consensus by 10%, rising 20% YoY despite climate-driven demand reduction, underscoring operational strength.
3 Utility Stocks With Strong Dividends and Room to Run HigherWEC Energy Group NYSE: WEC reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of $0.91 per diluted share, up $0.15 from the same period a year earlier, and reaffirmed its full-year earnings guidance of $5.51 to $5.61 per share, assuming normal weather for the remainder of the year.
President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Lauber said the company’s results reflected continued execution, financial discipline and operating efficiency. Management also maintained its long-term outlook for compound annual earnings-per-share growth of 7% to 8% from 2026 through 2030, based on the midpoint of 2025 adjusted guidance, and expects growth to move toward the upper half of that range beginning in 2028.
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Data-center development supports capital plan 3 Utility Stocks That Will Benefit from Less RegulationLauber pointed to continued data-center development in Wisconsin as a foundation for the company’s $37.5 billion five-year capital investment plan. The plan is focused on projects management characterized as low risk and executable, including investments to serve large customers. WEC expects approximately 15% of its asset base to be dedicated to very large customers by the end of 2030.
At Microsoft’s Pleasant Prairie site, the first data-center facility is fully operational, Lauber said. Microsoft has acquired more than 2,200 acres in the I-94 corridor south of Milwaukee, where WEC is preparing to serve a forecasted 2.6 gigawatts of demand through 2030, with potential for additional expansion.
3 undervalued stocks: Is now the right time to buy?North of Milwaukee, Vantage Data Centers is constructing facilities for Oracle on about 1,900 acres. The initial phase is being built on 670 acres, with Vantage expecting to invest $15 billion to complete that phase in 2028. Structural framework has been completed on multiple buildings, and the first facility could enter service as early as late 2027, according to Lauber.
WEC currently forecasts 1.3 gigawatts of demand at the Vantage site over the next five years, with potential demand eventually reaching 3.5 gigawatts. Lauber said the company is also discussing potential projects with other large customers, generally in the range of 400 to 500 megawatts rather than the scale of the Microsoft and Vantage developments.
Construction is also continuing on natural-gas generation facilities in Paris and Oak Creek, Wisconsin, which WEC expects to begin coming online in late 2027. Looking ahead, Lauber said a future plan could include a combined-cycle generating facility rather than only simple-cycle generation, as the company evaluates the need for both energy and capacity to support customer demand.
Second-quarter earnings drivers Chief Financial Officer Xia Liu said utility operations contributed $0.06 more to earnings than in the second quarter of 2025. Weather reduced quarter-over-quarter earnings by approximately $0.05, as weather had an estimated negative $0.03 impact in the 2026 quarter compared with a positive $0.02 effect a year earlier.
Rate-base growth added $0.13 per share, including $0.09 from incremental allowance for funds used during construction equity and $0.02 from incremental cash returns associated largely with projects under construction supporting very large customers. Sales growth, taxes and other items added a combined $0.06.
Those gains were partly offset by $0.05 from higher depreciation and amortization expense and $0.03 from higher day-to-day operations and maintenance costs. At American Transmission Company, capital investment growth added $0.03 to quarterly earnings versus the prior-year period.
Weather-normalized retail electric sales increased 4.2% year over year, driven by very large customers. Excluding the iron ore mine and very large customers, sales rose 1.2%, supported by higher volumes across all customer classes. Despite the quarterly performance, management expects full-year 2026 weather-normalized electric sales, excluding those customers, to be relatively even with 2025.
The energy infrastructure segment’s earnings increased $0.11 per share from the prior-year quarter. Liu said the comparison included the absence of a prior-year storm-related asset impairment and an insurance payment received during the current quarter, which together accounted for a net $0.04. The remaining improvement was largely related to operations and maintenance timing, production tax credits, capacity payments and other items. Liu said some of the favorable O&M timing is expected to reverse in the fourth quarter.
Regulatory and financing updates In May, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin issued its written order for WEC’s very large customer tariff. Lauber said the tariff requires large customers to pay their full share of costs. The company is working with Oracle to update financial security requirements for the Port Washington project in accordance with commission requirements.
Lauber said Oracle remains committed to the project and that construction is continuing on time and on budget. He said the company sees other potential users for the site in a worst-case scenario in which Oracle did not expand, but added that he had no indication such an outcome was expected.
WEC’s Wisconsin rate request for forward-looking test years 2027 and 2028 remains pending. Staff and intervener testimony is due in mid-August, with final commission orders expected by year-end and new rates scheduled to take effect in January 2027 and 2028. In Illinois, the Illinois Commerce Commission in May unanimously approved settlements involving the Rider QIP and bad-debt rider, resolving 12 open dockets. WEC also expects a decision by year-end on its Illinois utility rate request for the 2027 test year.
Liu said WEC had locked in about $760 million of common equity in the first half, including approximately $40 million under an employee benefit plan and $720 million through forward contracts under its at-the-market program. The company expects to issue about $1.1 billion of common equity during 2026 and said incremental capital beyond the current plan is expected to carry 50% equity content.
For the third quarter, WEC expects earnings of $0.92 to $0.98 per share, incorporating July weather and assuming normal weather for the balance of the quarter. The board’s 6.7% dividend increase announced in January marked the company’s 23rd consecutive year of higher dividends, Lauber said.
About WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC)WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC's operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.
Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
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Key Takeaways WEC Energy's Q2 earnings rose 19.7% to 91 cents per share, beating estimates by 13.8%. Rate base growth and stronger energy infrastructure results helped lift operating income 6.9%. WEC Energy reaffirmed 2026 guidance as data center demand anchors its $37.5B plan through 2030. WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of 91 cents per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 80 cents by 13.75%. The bottom line also increased 19.74% from the year-ago quarter’s 76 cents, aided by rate base growth and stronger energy infrastructure results.
WEC’s RevenuesOperating revenues of $2.06 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.11 billion by around 2.27%. The top line also increased 2.62% from $2.01 billion recorded in the year-ago quarter.
WEC's Sales and Load TrendsRetail electricity deliveries, excluding the iron ore mine and Very Large Customers, were essentially flat on a reported basis. Small commercial and industrial use declined 0.2%, while large commercial and industrial consumption increased 0.9%. Residential use fell 1.1%.
On a weather-normal basis, retail electricity deliveries, excluding the iron ore mine and Very Large Customers, increased 1.2% during second-quarter 2026. Management said volumes grew across all customer classes and came in slightly ahead of its forecast, though it still expects full-year 2026 weather-normalized sales on this basis to be relatively even with 2025.
Total electric sales volume for the second quarter was 10,150 thousand megawatt-hours, down 4.7% year over year.
WEC's Costs and Operating ResultsTotal operating expenses increased 1.5% year over year to $1.63 billion, primarily reflecting a 3.5% rise in other operation and maintenance expenses to $617.1 million and a 4.3% increase in depreciation and amortization to $384.9 million.
Operating income totaled $432.8 million, up 6.9% from $404.9 million recorded in the year-ago quarter.
Equity earnings from transmission affiliates increased 20.6% to $62.6 million, while other income more than doubled to $61.5 million.
The company incurred interest expense of $228.9 million, up 3.7% from the prior-year level of $220.8 million.
WEC Energy's Balance Sheet and Cash FlowAs of June 30, 2026, WEC had cash and cash equivalents of $50 million compared with $27.6 million as of Dec. 31, 2025.
As of June 30, 2026, long-term debt increased to $19.22 billion from $18.50 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025, while total assets rose to $52.75 billion from $51.52 billion over the same period.
Net cash provided by operating activities increased 9.7% year over year to $2.21 billion in the first six months of 2026.
For the six months ended June 30, 2026, capital expenditures rose 35.9% year over year to $2.08 billion. WEC also expects to issue about $1.1 billion of common equity during 2026.
WEC Energy’s Growth Outlook and Capital PlanWEC Energy reaffirmed its 2026 earnings guidance of $5.51-$5.61 per share, assuming normal weather conditions for the remainder of the year. For the third quarter, management expects earnings of 92-98 cents per share.
The company reaffirmed its long-term annual earnings growth target of 7-8% through 2030 and expects growth to trend toward the upper half of that range beginning in 2028.
WEC's five-year capital plan calls for $37.5 billion of investment through 2030. The program includes $20.3 billion for electric generation, $7.1 billion for gas distribution, $4.7 billion for electric distribution, $4.1 billion for transmission and $1.3 billion for Wisconsin liquefied natural gas capacity.
Data center demand remains central to the outlook. WEC forecasts 2.6 gigawatts of demand from Microsoft's regional development through 2030 and 1.3 gigawatts from the Vantage Data Centers over the next five years.
WEC’s Zacks RankThe company currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Upcoming ReleasesDuke Energy (DUK - Free Report) is scheduled to report second-quarter results on Aug. 4, before the market opens. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at $1.29 per share, which suggests a year-over-year increase of 3.20%.
DUK’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 6.76%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is pinned at $6.72 per share, which implies a year-over-year improvement of 6.50%.
Consolidated Edison (ED - Free Report) is slated to report second-quarter results on Aug. 6, after market close. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 74 cents per share, which implies a year-over-year increase of 10.45%.
ED’s long-term earnings growth rate is 6.32%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is pinned at $6.09 per share, which implies a year-over-year improvement of 6.84%.
PPL Corporation (PPL - Free Report) is scheduled to report second-quarter results on Aug. 7, before the market opens. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 35 cents per share, which implies a year-over-year growth of 9.38%.
PPL’s long-term earnings growth rate is 7.52%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is pinned at $1.94 per share, which implies a year-over-year improvement of 7.18%.
Earnings Per Share (EPS): Second quarter 2026 earnings of $0.91 per share, up $0.15 from the second quarter of 2025.Earnings Guidance: Reaffirmed 2026 earnings
WEC Energy Group reported a nearly 22% rise in second-quarter profit on Wednesday, as higher electricity sales to commercial and industrial customers like data centers boosted revenue and offset rising costs.
WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.91 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.8 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.76 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +13.75%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this electricity and natural gas provider would post earnings of $2.33 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.45, delivering a surprise of +5.15%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
WEC Energy, which belongs to the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry, posted revenues of $2.06 billion for the quarter ended June 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.26%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $2.01 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
WEC Energy shares have added about 7.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.5%.
What's Next for WEC Energy?While WEC Energy has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for WEC Energy was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.91 on $2.23 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $5.59 on $10.49 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Utility - Electric Power is currently in the bottom 32% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
One other stock from the same industry, Edison International (EIX - Free Report) , is yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on July 30.
This electric power provider is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.02 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +5.2%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 8.1% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.
Edison International's revenues are expected to be $4.72 billion, up 3.9% from the year-ago quarter.
, /PRNewswire/ -- WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC) today reported net income of $299.2 million, or 91 cents per share, for the second quarter of 2026 — up from $245.4 million, or 76 cents per share, for last year's second quarter.
For the first six months of 2026, the company recorded net income of $1.1 billion, or $3.36 per share — up from $969.6 million, or $3.02 per share, in the corresponding period a year ago.
Consolidated revenues totaled $5.5 billion, up $337.3 million from the first half of 2025.
"Our focus on customer service, financial discipline and operating efficiency — while continuing to execute on our capital plan — helped deliver a strong quarter," said Scott Lauber, chairman, president and CEO.
Retail deliveries of electricity — excluding the iron ore mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Very Large Customers (VLCs) in Wisconsin — were essentially flat in the second quarter of 2026, compared to the second quarter last year.
Electricity consumption by small commercial and industrial customers was 0.2 percent lower. Electricity use by large commercial and industrial customers — excluding the iron ore mine and VLCs — increased by 0.9 percent.
Residential electricity use decreased by 1.1 percent.
On a weather-normal basis, retail deliveries of electricity during the second quarter of this year — excluding the iron ore mine and VLCs — increased by 1.2 percent.
The company is reaffirming its 2026 earnings guidance of $5.51 to $5.61 per share. This assumes normal weather for the remainder of the year.
Earnings per share listed in this news release are on a fully diluted basis.
Conference call
A conference call is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central time, Wednesday, July 29. The call will review 2026 second-quarter earnings and the company's outlook for the future.
All interested parties, including stockholders, news media and the general public, are invited to listen. Access the call at 888-330-2443 up to 15 minutes before it begins. The number for international callers is 240-789-2728. The conference ID is 3088105.
Conference call access also is available at wecenergygroup.com. Under 'Webcasts,' select 'Q2 Earnings.' In conjunction with this earnings announcement, WEC Energy Group will post on its website a package of detailed financial information on its second-quarter performance. The materials will be available at 6:30 a.m. Central time, Wednesday, July 29.
Replay
A replay will be available on the website and by phone. Access to the webcast replay will be available on the website about two hours after the call. Access to a phone replay also will be available approximately two hours after the call and remain accessible through Aug. 12, 2026. Domestic callers should dial 800-770-2030. International callers should dial 647-362-9199. The replay conference ID is 3088105.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving 4.8 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
The company's principal utilities are We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Michigan Gas Utilities, Minnesota Energy Resources and Upper Michigan Energy Resources. Another major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants. In addition, WEC Infrastructure LLC owns a fleet of renewable generation facilities in states ranging from South Dakota to Texas.
WEC Energy Group (wecenergygroup.com) is a Fortune 500 company and a component of the S&P 500. The company has approximately 31,000 stockholders of record, 7,000 employees and more than $52 billion of assets.
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning management's expectations and projections regarding earnings, earnings growth rates, dividend payments and future results. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by reference to a future period or periods or by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "guidance," "intends," "may," "objectives," "plans," "possible," "potential," "projects," "should," "targets," "will" or similar terms or variations of these terms.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions, including business and competitive conditions in the company's service territories; timing, resolution and impact of rate cases and other regulatory decisions, including rider reconciliations; the company's ability to continue to successfully integrate the operations of its subsidiaries; availability of the company's generating facilities and/or distribution systems; unanticipated changes in fuel and purchased power costs; key personnel changes; unusual, varying or severe weather conditions; continued industry restructuring and consolidation; continued advances in, and adoption of, new technologies that produce power or reduce power consumption; energy and environmental conservation efforts; electrification initiatives, mandates and other efforts to reduce the use of natural gas; the company's ability to successfully acquire and/or dispose of assets and projects and to execute on its capital plan, including projects related to serving data centers and other large-scale customers; terrorist, physical or cyber-security threats or attacks and data security breaches; construction risks; labor disruptions; equity and bond market fluctuations; changes in the company's and its subsidiaries' ability to access the capital markets; changes in tax legislation or our ability to use certain tax benefits and carryforwards; changes in and uncertainty around federal, state, and local legislation and regulation, including changes in rate-setting policies or procedures and environmental standards, in the enforcement of these laws and regulations and in the interpretation of regulations or permit conditions by regulatory agencies; supply chain disruptions; inflation; political or geopolitical developments impacting the global economy, supply chain and fuel prices generally, including as a result of changes to government trade policies, geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and other countries, such as the war with Iran, or other new, protracted or escalating regional or international conflicts; the impact from any health crises, including epidemics and pandemics; current and future litigation and regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries; the ability of the Company to successfully and/or timely adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence; changes in accounting standards; the financial performance of the American Transmission Company as well as projects in which the company's energy infrastructure business invests; the ability of the company to obtain additional generating capacity at competitive prices; goodwill and its possible impairment; and other factors described under the heading "Factors Affecting Results, Liquidity and Capital Resources" in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and under the headings "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" contained in the company's Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2025, and in subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as may be required by law, the company expressly disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.
Tables follow
WEC ENERGY GROUP, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
Six Months Ended
June 30
June 30
(in millions, except per share amounts)
2026
2025
2026
2025
Operating revenues
$ 2,062.1
$ 2,009.5
$ 5,496.3
$ 5,159.0
Operating expenses
Cost of sales
555.6
570.5
1,946.6
1,736.2
Other operation and maintenance
617.1
596.2
1,225.8
1,204.2
Depreciation and amortization
384.9
368.9
764.7
728.8
Property and revenue taxes
71.7
69.0
146.4
147.4
Total operating expenses
1,629.3
1,604.6
4,083.5
3,816.6
Operating income
432.8
404.9
1,412.8
1,342.4
Equity in earnings of transmission affiliates
62.6
51.9
122.1
105.5
Other income, net
61.5
26.5
109.7
44.6
Interest expense
228.9
220.8
457.4
443.8
Other expense
(104.8)
(142.4)
(225.6)
(293.7)
Income before income taxes
328.0
262.5
1,187.2
1,048.7
Income tax expense
27.0
19.5
80.1
80.2
Net income
301.0
243.0
1,107.1
968.5
Preferred stock dividends of subsidiary
0.3
0.3
0.6
0.6
Net (income) loss attributed to noncontrolling interests
(1.5)
2.7
(2.9)
1.7
Net income attributed to common shareholders
$ 299.2
$ 245.4
$ 1,103.6
$ 969.6
Earnings per share
Basic
$ 0.92
$ 0.77
$ 3.39
$ 3.04
Diluted
$ 0.91
$ 0.76
$ 3.36
$ 3.02
Weighted average common shares outstanding
Basic
325.8
320.3
325.7
319.3
Diluted
328.9
322.2
328.6
320.7
Dividends per share of common stock
$ 0.9525
$ 0.8925
$ 1.9050
$ 1.7850
WEC ENERGY GROUP, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
(in millions, except share and per share amounts)
June 30, 2026
December 31, 2025
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 50.0
$ 27.6
Accounts receivable and unbilled revenues, net of reserves of $148.9 and $148.7, respectively
1,529.2
2,062.7
Materials, supplies, and inventories
744.6
803.4
Prepaid taxes
203.2
178.8
Other prepayments
57.8
92.4
Other
197.0
119.8
Current assets
2,781.8
3,284.7
Long-term assets
Property, plant, and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $12,783.3 and
$12,411.5, respectively
39,827.6
38,278.1
Regulatory assets (June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025 include $63.6 and $67.5, respectively,
related to WEPCo Environmental Trust Finance I, LLC)
3,130.4
3,156.3
Equity investment in transmission affiliates
2,420.7
2,280.4
Goodwill
3,052.8
3,052.8
Pension and OPEB assets
1,115.6
1,082.4
Other
421.5
383.6
Long-term assets
49,968.6
48,233.6
Total assets
$ 52,750.4
$ 51,518.3
Liabilities and Equity
Current liabilities
Short-term debt
$ 1,934.1
$ 1,924.7
Current portion of long-term debt (June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025 include $9.4 and $9.3,
respectively, related to WEPCo Environmental Trust Finance I, LLC)
1,413.5
1,519.4
Accounts payable
1,018.6
1,140.1
Other
842.2
1,009.2
Current liabilities
5,208.4
5,593.4
Long-term liabilities
Long-term debt (June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025 include $62.8 and $67.4, respectively,
related to WEPCo Environmental Trust Finance I, LLC)
19,216.3
18,498.1
Finance lease obligations
415.8
372.0
Deferred income taxes
6,165.3
5,891.7
Deferred revenue, net
305.0
314.2
Regulatory liabilities
4,229.6
4,121.3
Intangible liabilities
550.3
580.3
Environmental remediation liabilities
466.2
484.1
Asset retirement obligations
668.6
647.0
Other
951.9
963.4
Long-term liabilities
32,969.0
31,872.1
Commitments and contingencies
Common shareholders' equity
Common stock – $0.01 par value; 650,000,000 shares authorized; 325,849,383 and 325,461,519
shares outstanding, respectively
3.3
3.3
Additional paid in capital
5,162.3
5,124.4
Retained earnings
8,976.8
8,493.5
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(7.5)
(7.6)
Common shareholders' equity
14,134.9
13,613.6
Preferred stock of subsidiary
30.4
30.4
Noncontrolling interests
407.7
408.8
Total liabilities and equity
$ 52,750.4
$ 51,518.3
WEC ENERGY GROUP, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
Six Months Ended
June 30
(in millions)
2026
2025
Operating activities
Net income
$ 1,107.1
$ 968.5
Reconciliation to cash provided by operating activities
Depreciation and amortization
764.7
728.8
Deferred income taxes and ITCs, net
189.9
220.0
AFUDC-Equity
(94.8)
(38.6)
Contributions and payments related to pension and OPEB plans
(7.2)
(7.1)
Equity income in transmission affiliates, net of distributions
(27.8)
(3.4)
Change in –
Accounts receivable and unbilled revenues, net
479.5
136.4
Materials, supplies, and inventories
58.8
110.2
Other current assets
(39.5)
65.4
Accounts payable
(102.1)
(172.1)
Other current liabilities
(104.2)
(44.8)
Other, net
(13.7)
52.6
Net cash provided by operating activities
2,210.7
2,015.9
Investing activities
Capital expenditures
(2,079.9)
(1,530.5)
Acquisition of Hardin Solar Energy III Center, net of cash acquired of $ – and $0.2, respectively
(3.0)
(406.1)
Capital contributions to transmission affiliates
(112.4)
(87.8)
Proceeds from the sale of assets
21.7
0.7
Reimbursement for American Transmission Company LLC's transmission infrastructure upgrades
10.4
39.7
Other, net
(37.3)
11.2
Net cash used in investing activities
(2,200.5)
(1,972.8)
Financing activities
Exercise of stock options
9.1
24.7
Issuance of common stock, net
23.8
398.8
Dividends paid on common stock
(620.3)
(568.7)
Issuance of long-term debt
1,804.2
1,025.0
Retirement of long-term debt
(1,189.1)
(567.6)
Change in commercial paper
8.0
(308.0)
Other, net
(20.9)
(20.3)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
14.8
(16.1)
Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
25.0
27.0
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period
70.9
42.2
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period
Asia-Pacific Images Studio/iStock via Getty Images
Utilities have become an exciting sector as both market prices and fundamentals are changing rapidly. We monitor the relative opportunity of the major electric utilities as factors change and have come to believe that WEC Energy Group (WEC) has become more opportunistic than Dominion (D).
This article will discuss why we are trimming D in favor of WEC. We shall begin with a discussion of Dominion as it has played out and follow with a renewed thesis on WEC.
Dominion—Still Strong but Valuation is Less Appealing Due to Appreciation We have liked Dominion since our initial thesis that it would have powerful demand drivers through its access to northern Virginia, which is the epicenter of data center development. Aside from some minor delays and cost overruns on CVOW, fundamentals have played out beautifully.
Dominion has successfully grown earnings and still has an impressively large growth pipeline. Dominion has had 2 main challenges, which previously caused it to trade at a discount to most electric utilities:
Higher leverage at 60% debt to capital High capital needs to fund the load growth In May of 2026, it was announced that NextEra Energy (NEE) was going to buy Dominion and form the largest electric utility ever.
We liked the merger right away as it directly solves both of Dominion's challenges. NEE has access to vast amounts of low-cost capital, which means the combined company will be able to very accretively fund Dominion's growth pipeline. As the merger was announced, the market was hesitant to believe it would go through, which left a large arbitrage gap that we discussed in the above-linked article.
Specifically, Dominion was trading at $68.32 (at the time of writing the above-linked article), while the value of NEE shares, into which it would convert upon merger completion, was $73.36. Furthermore, D was due just over $4.00 in dividends while waiting for closing, such that the overall upside was 13.25%.
Portfolio Income Solutions
Over time, the arbitrage gap began to close as the market got more comfortable with the deal. On July 16th, D and NEE filed with regulators to approve the merger, which solidified that both parties are interested and pursuing a path to closing.
That largely closed the arbitrage gap. As of 7/21/26, D is trading at $70.15 with the converted value in NEE shares worth $71.49.
Portfolio Income Solutions
With about 5 dividend periods until expected close date, D shareholders would get total proceeds of $74.83 for total remaining merger upside of 6.67%. Given the roughly 1.25 years until expected close, this seems about right, and I would consider the arbitrage to be essentially played out.
There remains some chance the merger will get shot down by regulators, so it is not risk-free, but I consider it fairly low risk for 2 reasons:
Both companies are stable and successful as stand-alone There is a hefty breakup fee that NEE would have to pay Dominion that would substantially pad any downside from a failed merger. Given the rise in Dominion's price, it is no longer trading at a material discount to peer electric utilities.
2nd Market Capital
Dominion is trading at 12.14X 2027 EBITDA compared to 11.96X for the sector. Its PE multiple is fractionally lower than peers, making its overall valuation essentially right in the middle.
We still prefer the Dominion leg over the NEE leg. The combined company looks to be an entirely reasonable investment with good growth in both Virginia and Florida. However, the less attractive valuation after the run-up encourages us to look elsewhere in the sector.
The WEC Buy Thesis I think the market has misinterpreted the strict VLC Tariff (very large customer) tariff passed by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin as a negative. In a more balanced demand environment, the terms could be demand destructive for data center development, but presently time-to-market is the key desideratum of where to develop, and the structure of the tariff actually improves time-to-market.
The result is that WEC gets development terms that are highly favorable to the utility while experiencing a quantity of demand that will materially expand their earnings power over time.
Let us begin with a discussion of the VLC Tariff and move on to show how it is facilitating a massive load expansion for WEC.
The VLC Tariff WEC proposed a VLC Tariff along with a Bespoke Resources Tariff for large customers in March, which was meant to do 2 things:
Protect ordinary customers from having to foot the bill for data center development Create a framework of guaranteed payment such that WEC would not be left without a revenue source if the large customer were to back out. In their proposal, WEC called for it to apply to customers over 500MW and wanted to establish a minimum 10-year term so as to make sure they got paid back for development expenses.
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin reviewed the proposal and made it substantially more aggressive before passing it on April 24th, 2026.
Yale Clean Energy Forum discusses the VLC Tariff in greater detail.
The PSC's version upped the terms to include:
Financial guarantees for VLCs below A- credit rating 100 MW or bigger rather than 500MW or bigger Generation and transmission costs are 100% of VLC customer-funded. 15-year minimum term Early exit fee for full reimbursement of costs One may note that each of these terms is “against” the data center in the sense that it locks them in and forces them to pay a larger share of the bill aimed to ensure they pay at least 100% of the costs.
This makes the terms of any data center development quite favorable to WEC because they will get a very high ROE on data center development, and that return is backed by a long contract with a high credit tenant or a capital reserve set aside.
While these terms are favorable for WEC, they could be viewed as demand destructive. If the terms are too aggressive against data centers, they may choose to locate elsewhere, potentially causing WEC to lose some of what would have been load growth.
The market seems to have interpreted the Public Service Commission's version as demand destructive, as WEC has materially underperformed its peers.
SA
Note on the chart above how WEC has basically flatlined since it submitted its VLC proposal in March.
I think the market's interpretation is wrong and that the VLC Tariff is bullish for WEC.
Why the VLC Tariff Matters and How It Impacts WEC Earnings There are always going to be tradeoffs in regulation, and this is among the more ironclad in terms of making sure the data centers pay for the development.
We see the VLC Tariff having 3 main effects:
Data center developers are slightly disincentivized economically to build in this jurisdiction. Regulators will be faster and more willing to accommodate the development of data centers given the protection to residential customers. Data center developers currently care more about speed to market rather than cost to build. Thus, while demand remains high and speed to market is the key issue, the tariffs may actually stimulate activity.
Data center development is being aggressively fought at both a state and local level, such as the data center moratorium in New York. This red tape exacerbates what is already a slow process of building new power generation.
We believe the clear framework set forth in the Wisconsin VLC Tariff and the safeguards for residential customers go a long way to reducing that red tape. To the extent it can guarantee the data centers pay for the power and transmission, data center development is an economic and employment boon for the state and local areas. It makes it much easier to greenlight projects and thereby reduces time-to-delivery.
Faster development is a big deal for the hyperscalers who want to win the AI race, and I believe that is why so many data centers are popping up in Wisconsin.
Microsoft is building an enormous data center at Mount Pleasant
WEC
Vantage is building a data center for OpenAI and Oracle in Port Washington, where WEC already generates substantial power.
WEC
Beyond data centers, Wisconsin has strong manufacturing growth, as discussed by Scott Lauber, WEC's CEO, on the 1Q26 earnings call:
“There's other notable growth in the state. As a recent example, Milwaukee Tool has announced plans to further expand its campus in our territory, including a new research and development facility. Waukesha Engine also announced plans to expand upon its local operation and employee base. In addition, we're starting to see good housing development. In fact, realtor.com recognized Racine County, home of the Microsoft site, as one of the nation's hottest housing markets. We're committed to meeting the growing demand across our service areas as we invest in our system for increased capacity and reliability.”
These large-scale projects are fueling WEC's load growth and the earnings growth that comes along with it. In total, WEC plans to outlay $37.5B over the next 5 years.
WEC
Since utilities have regulated ROE and a higher ROE attached to data centers subject to the VLC Tariff, deployed capital translates directly to earnings per share growth. As these projects come online, WEC anticipates earnings growth accelerating to 8% annually.
WEC
WEC can fund this development at a reasonably low cost of capital. In June they issued $400 million of 5-year notes at 4.65% and $400 million of 10-year notes at 5.10%. This low spread over Treasuries is a testament to their strong balance sheet and operating track record.
High Total Return Potential Relative to Risk With earnings growth accelerating to 8% annually and a 3.4% dividend yield, WEC is positioned to deliver an annual total return of 11.4% if one were to assume the multiple at which it trades remains flat.
That is a high return for a large-cap electric utility, which is generally considered to be below average risk for an equity. I would consider the outsized return relative to risk to represent mispricing and suggest that WEC will appreciate until such a price that it is generating a more normal forward expected return for its risk level.
Primary Risk to WEC If demand for data centers were to drop off substantially, the aggressive terms of the VLC Tariff could indeed become demand destructive. We will be watching hyperscaler capex closely as their earnings reports roll out. High capex is good for utilities broadly and especially WEC.
Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report) by 21.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,401 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 15,238 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $9,887,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pure Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,319 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC increased its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 2,036 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 5,511 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,762 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $184,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas lifted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 1,964 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.20% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP Daniel Krueger sold 4,665 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total value of $517,628.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $815,112.16. The trade was a 38.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms recently commented on WEC. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Friday, June 26th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on WEC Energy Group from $126.00 to $117.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded WEC Energy Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, May 24th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on WEC Energy Group from $119.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, WEC Energy Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.20.
Get Our Latest Analysis on WEC Energy Group
More WEC Energy Group News Here are the key news stories impacting WEC Energy Group this week:
Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp maintained an Overweight rating on WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) and kept its price target at $117, indicating analysts still see upside potential. Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised its longer-term earnings estimates slightly, including FY2028 EPS to $6.47 and FY2029 EPS to $6.97, which may support valuation expectations. Neutral Sentiment: BMO Capital reiterated a Hold rating on WEC Energy Group, suggesting a mixed near-term outlook and limiting the stock’s upside enthusiasm. BMO Capital Sticks to Its Hold Rating for WEC Energy Group (WEC) Neutral Sentiment: KeyCorp’s near-term EPS estimates for Q2, Q3, and Q4 2026 were provided without a major surprise, so they are more of a confirmation of current expectations than a fresh catalyst. Negative Sentiment: KeyCorp lowered its price target from $126 to $117, reflecting a less aggressive view of the stock’s near-term appreciation. WEC Energy Group Trading Up 0.0% NYSE:WEC opened at $115.82 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.68. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $102.95 and a 1 year high of $119.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $113.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.12, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.47.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $3.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.25% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.27 earnings per share. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $0.9525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.05%.
WEC Energy Group Company Profile (Free Report)
WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC’s operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.
Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than WEC Energy Group RTX and Lockheed Earnings: Can Strong Guidance Reset the Defense Trade? These 4 Earnings Reports Expose the Market’s Growing Economic Divide Broadcom May Be the Biggest Winner From Alphabet’s Earnings Volatility Is Back and These 3 Market Tollbooths Are Best Positioned to Profit Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WEC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report).
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, /PRNewswire/ -- WEC Energy Group Inc. (NYSE: WEC) will issue its 2026 second-quarter earnings news release before the stock market opens Wednesday, July 29. A conference call for investors and security analysts is scheduled for the same day at 1 p.m. Central time.
Detailed financial information will be available on the WEC Energy Group website by 6:30 a.m. Central time July 29.
To listen to webcast
Go to wecenergygroup.com. Under 'Webcasts,' select 'Q2 Earnings' at any point within 15 minutes of the start of the call. To listen to conference call
Conference ID: 3088105 Live: 888-330-2443. International: 240-789-2728 Replay: 800-770-2030. International: 647-362-9199 (replay available for two weeks following event)
WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving 4.8 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
The company's principal utilities are We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Michigan Gas Utilities, Minnesota Energy Resources and Upper Michigan Energy Resources. Another major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants. In addition, WEC Infrastructure LLC owns a fleet of renewable generation facilities in states ranging from South Dakota to Texas.
WEC Energy Group (wecenergygroup.com) is a Fortune 500 company and a component of the S&P 500. The company has approximately 31,000 stockholders of record, 7,000 employees and more than $52 billion of assets.
The market expects WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.
The earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 29, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.
While management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call will mostly determine the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations, it's worth having a handicapping insight into the odds of a positive EPS surprise.
Zacks Consensus EstimateThis electricity and natural gas provider is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.81 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +6.6%.
Revenues are expected to be $2.07 billion, up 3.1% from the year-ago quarter.
Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 5.26% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.
Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.
Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.
A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.
Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).
How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for WEC Energy?For WEC Energy, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -0.83%.
On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #4.
So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that WEC Energy will beat the consensus EPS estimate.
Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.
For the last reported quarter, it was expected that WEC Energy would post earnings of $2.33 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.45, delivering a surprise of +5.15%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times.
Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.
That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
WEC Energy doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.
Expected Results of an Industry PlayerDTE Energy (DTE - Free Report) , another stock in the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry, is expected to report earnings per share of $1.14 for the quarter ended June 2026. This estimate points to a year-over-year change of -16.2%. Revenues for the quarter are expected to be $3.51 billion, up 2.7% from the year-ago quarter.
Over the last 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for DTE Energy has been revised 4.7% up to the current level. Nevertheless, the company now has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%, reflecting an equal Most Accurate Estimate.
This Earnings ESP, combined with its Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), makes it difficult to conclusively predict that DTE Energy will beat the consensus EPS estimate. Over the last four quarters, the company surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times.
Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.
Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report) by 5.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 151,575 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,333 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $17,608,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WEC. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 113.9% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 246 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in WEC Energy Group by 972.7% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.20% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Friday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $127.00 price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays upped their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $111.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $124.00 price objective on WEC Energy Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.07.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on WEC Energy Group
WEC Energy Group Stock Performance Shares of WEC Energy Group stock opened at $111.68 on Wednesday. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.95 and a 52 week high of $119.91. The company has a market capitalization of $36.38 billion, a PE ratio of 22.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $113.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.15. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.25% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The firm had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.
WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.9525 per share. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.05%.
Insiders Place Their Bets In other WEC Energy Group news, EVP Daniel Krueger sold 4,665 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total value of $517,628.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,346 shares in the company, valued at approximately $815,112.16. This represents a 38.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
About WEC Energy Group (Free Report)
WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC’s operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.
Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.
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California Public Employees Retirement System reduced its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report) by 17.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 678,212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 147,170 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.21% of WEC Energy Group worth $78,517,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 529,319 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,822,000 after acquiring an additional 109,745 shares during the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,363,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 24.9% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 53,220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,613,000 after purchasing an additional 10,606 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 195.1% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 482,309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,864,000 after purchasing an additional 318,846 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Country Trust Bank lifted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 255,685 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,965,000 after purchasing an additional 15,182 shares during the period. 77.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
WEC Energy Group Price Performance WEC Energy Group stock opened at $113.36 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.63, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.47. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $102.95 and a 52-week high of $119.91. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $113.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.68.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.15. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.25% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The company had revenue of $3.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.27 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current year.
WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.9525 dividend. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. WEC Energy Group’s payout ratio is 76.05%.
Analyst Ratings Changes WEC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of WEC Energy Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 24th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $119.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $111.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $127.00 price target on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Friday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.07.
Check Out Our Latest Report on WEC
Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP Daniel Krueger sold 4,665 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total transaction of $517,628.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,346 shares in the company, valued at approximately $815,112.16. This represents a 38.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.
WEC Energy Group Company Profile (Free Report)
WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC’s operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.
Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.
See Also Five stocks we like better than WEC Energy Group Strait of Hormuz Tensions Spike Tanker Trade: These 2 Stocks Are Set to Benefit Shopify’s Quiet AI Strategy Could Be Its Biggest Advantage Yet Why These 3 Nuclear ETFs Are Getting a Fresh Look as AI Power Demand Rises 3 Aerospace Suppliers That Could Benefit as Aircraft Makers Face Bottlenecks Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WEC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report).
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, /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC) today declared a quarterly cash dividend of 95.25 cents per share on the company's common stock.
The dividend is payable Sept. 1, 2026, to stockholders of record on Aug. 14, 2026. This marks the 336th consecutive quarter — dating back to 1942 — that the company will have paid a dividend to its stockholders.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving 4.8 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
The company's principal utilities are We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Michigan Gas Utilities, Minnesota Energy Resources and Upper Michigan Energy Resources. Another major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants. In addition, WEC Infrastructure LLC owns a fleet of renewable generation facilities in states ranging from South Dakota to Texas.
WEC Energy Group (wecenergygroup.com) is a Fortune 500 company and a component of the S&P 500. The company has approximately 31,000 stockholders of record, 7,000 employees and more than $52 billion of assets.
Resources Investor Relations Journalists Agencies Client Login Send a Release News Products Contact , /PRNewswire/ -- The Wisconsin Electric board of directors today declared a quarterly cash dividend of 90 cents per share on the company's Preferred Stock, 3.60% Series, payable Sept. 1, 2026, to stockholders of record on Aug. 14, 2026. The board also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.50 per share on the company's Six Per Cent Preferred Stock, payable Oct. 31, 2026, to stockholders of record on Oct. 14, 2026.
Wisconsin Electric Power Co., doing business as We Energies, is a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC). The company serves more than 1.1 million electric customers and more than 490,000 natural gas customers in Wisconsin. Go to the We Energies website at we-energies.com.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of WEC, MSFT either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Arizona State Retirement System lessened its stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,310 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 5,624 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $9,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 171,770 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $19,683,000 after buying an additional 7,970 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 131,363 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,053,000 after buying an additional 45,477 shares in the last quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 36.5% during the 3rd quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 59,519 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,820,000 after buying an additional 15,926 shares in the last quarter. London & Capital Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. London & Capital Asset Management Ltd now owns 31,498 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,609,000 after buying an additional 10,231 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 419,574 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $48,079,000 after buying an additional 49,905 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.20% of the company’s stock.
WEC Energy Group Stock Performance WEC stock opened at $114.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $37.34 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $115.56 and a 200-day moving average of $111.96. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.61 and a 12-month high of $119.62.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 15.90% and a return on equity of 12.40%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.6 earnings per share for the current year.
WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.9525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.88%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth WEC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on WEC Energy Group from $124.00 to $121.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Barclays upped their price target on WEC Energy Group from $111.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised WEC Energy Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on WEC Energy Group from $117.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $121.94.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WEC
Insider Activity at WEC Energy Group In other news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.55, for a total transaction of $582,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 276,600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,237,730. This represents a 1.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Mary Beth Straka sold 2,815 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.50, for a total value of $325,132.50. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 4,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $543,658.50. The trade was a 37.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 42,354 shares of company stock worth $4,855,505. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
WEC Energy Group Company Profile (Free Report)
WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC’s operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.
Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.
Read More Five stocks we like better than WEC Energy Group Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WEC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for WEC Energy Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WEC Energy Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
, /PRNewswire/ -- WEC Energy Group Inc. (NYSE: WEC) will issue its 2026 first-quarter earnings news release before the stock market opens Tuesday, May 5. A conference call for investors and security analysts is scheduled for the same day at 1 p.m. Central time.
Detailed financial information will be available on the WEC Energy Group website by 6:30 a.m. Central time May 5.
To listen to webcast
Go to wecenergygroup.com. Under 'Webcasts,' select 'Q1 Earnings' at any point within 15 minutes of the start of the call. To listen to conference call
Conference ID: 3088105 Live: 888-330-2443. International: 240-789-2728 Replay: 800-770-2030. International: 647-362-9199
(replay available for two weeks following event) WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving 4.8 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
The company's principal utilities are We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Michigan Gas Utilities, Minnesota Energy Resources and Upper Michigan Energy Resources. Another major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants. In addition, WEC Infrastructure LLC owns a fleet of renewable generation facilities in states ranging from South Dakota to Texas.
WEC Energy Group (wecenergygroup.com) is a Fortune 500 company and a component of the S&P 500. The company has approximately 32,000 stockholders of record, 7,000 employees and more than $51 billion of assets.
Key Takeaways Xcel Energy is expected to post Q1 EPS of 91 cents, up 8.33% year over year. XEL may benefit from higher electric and gas demand plus new Minnesota gas rates.Xcel Energy sees data center growth and local projects boosting demand and earnings. Xcel Energy (XEL - Free Report) is set to report first-quarter 2026 earnings on April 30, before market open. The company reported a negative earnings surprise of 1.03% in the last reported quarter.
Let us discuss the factors that are likely to be reflected in the upcoming quarterly results.
Q1 Expectations for XELThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 91 cents, implying a year-over-year increase of 8.33%.
The consensus estimate for revenues is pinned at $4.21 billion, indicating an increase of 7.69% from the year-ago reported number.
Factors Likely to Impact XEL’s Q1 EarningsXcel Energy's first-quarter 2026 performance is likely to have benefited from a rise in electric and natural gas demand and new rates implemented in January in its Northern States Power Company. In January 2026, interim natural gas rates were implemented in the Minnesota Natural Gas service region. These new rates are expected to have boosted the revenues and support the financial performance of the to-be-reported quarter.
The company’s first-quarter earnings are likely to have benefited from an increase in load growth to serve expanding data center demand.
Last year, Xcel Energy launched 15 economic development projects across its local communities, which are expected to generate more than $7 billion in capital investment and create nearly 1,400 jobs. These initiatives are likely to have driven increased demand in the first quarter, thereby boosting earnings.
However, an expected rise in operating costs, with higher property taxes and interest, might have offset some positives on first-quarter performance.
What Our Quantitative Model Predicts for XELOur proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Xcel Energy this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That is not the case here, as you will see below.
XEL’s Earnings ESP: The company has an Earnings ESP of -2.87% at present. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
XEL’s Zacks Rank:Currently, Xcel Energy carries a Zacks Rank #3.
Stocks to ConsiderInvestors may consider the following players from the same industry, as these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this reporting cycle.
WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) is likely to come up with earnings beat when it reports first-quarter results on May 5. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.54% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here.
WEC’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 7.44%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter EPS is pinned at $2.31, which implies a year-over-year increase of 1.76%.
Eversource Energy (ES - Free Report) is likely to come up with earnings beat when it reports first-quarter results on May 6. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.59% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present.
ES’ long-term earnings growth rate is 3.25%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter EPS is pinned at $1.60, which implies a year-over-year increase of 6.67%.
NiSource Inc. (NI - Free Report) is likely to come up with earnings beat when it reports first-quarter results on May 6. It has an Earnings ESP of +2.34% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present.
NI’s long-term earnings growth rate is 6.11%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter EPS is pinned at $1.03, which implies a year-over-year increase of 5.10%.
Key Takeaways D is expected to report Q1 EPS of 89 cents and revenues of $4.25 billion on May 1. Dominion Energy may benefit from Virginia data center demand and new rate implementation. D's offshore wind output and grid investments may aid earnings despite higher expenses. Dominion Energy (D - Free Report) is scheduled to release first-quarter 2026 results on May 1, before the market opens. The company delivered an earnings surprise of 6.25% in the last reported quarter.
Let’s discuss the factors that are likely to be reflected in the upcoming quarterly results.
Dominion’s Q1 ExpectationsThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 89 cents per share, indicating a year-over-year decline of 4.3%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pinned at $4.25 billion, reflecting a 4.3% improvement year over year.
Factors Likely to Have Influenced D’s Q1 EarningsDominion Energy’s first quarter is likely to have benefited from a rise in load growth, supported by strong electricity demand from large-scale data center expansion in Virginia. This is likely to have boosted the revenues and supported earnings.
Dominion Energy is also likely to have benefited from new rate implementation in its service region and an increase in electric demand driven by an expanding customer base. The first power offshore wind project is expected to have been delivered to the grid during the first-quarter, which is likely to have a positive impact on the company’s earnings.
The company is making strategic investments in expanding renewable energy, regulated assets, and upgrading and maintaining its transmission and distribution infrastructure. This is likely to have enhanced operational efficiency and service reliability, acting as an earnings tailwind.
However, return to normal weather, rise in financing expenses, operation and maintenance expenses, and share dilution might have weighed on some positives.
What Our Quantitative Model Says About DOur proven model predicts an earnings beat for Dominion Energy this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat, which is not the case here, as you will see below.
Earnings ESP: The company’s Earnings ESP is +1.31%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Zacks Rank: Currently, Dominion Energy carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Dominion Energy Inc. Price and EPS SurpriseInvestors may consider the following players from the same industry, as these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this reporting cycle.
WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) is likely to come up with earnings beat when it reports first-quarter results on May 5. It has an Earnings ESP of +0.54% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present.
WEC’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 7.44%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter EPS is pinned at $2.31, which implies a year-over-year increase of 1.76%.
Ameren Corporation (AEE - Free Report) is set to report first-quarter results on May 6 and is likely to have come up with an earnings beat. It has an Earnings ESP of +1.29% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present.
AEE’s long-term earnings growth rate is 9.27%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter EPS is pinned at $1.17, which implies a year-over-year increase of 9.35%.
NiSource Inc. (NI - Free Report) is scheduled to report first-quarter results on May 6 and is likely to have come up with an earnings beat. It has an Earnings ESP of +2.34% and a Zacks Rank #3 at present.
NI’s long-term earnings growth rate is 6.11%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter EPS is pinned at $1.03, which implies a year-over-year increase of 5.10%.
The market expects Eversource Energy (ES - Free Report) to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended March 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.
The earnings report, which is expected to be released on May 6, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.
While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise.
Zacks Consensus EstimateThis New England power provider is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.59 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +6%.
Revenues are expected to be $4.23 billion, up 2.7% from the year-ago quarter.
Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 2.15% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.
Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change.
Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.
A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.
Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).
How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Eversource?For Eversource, the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of +0.41%.
On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #4.
So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Eversource will beat the consensus EPS estimate.
Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.
For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Eversource would post earnings of $1.1 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.12, delivering a surprise of +1.82%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times.
Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.
That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Eversource doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.
An Industry Player's Expected ResultsWEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) , another stock in the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry, is expected to report earnings per share of $2.31 for the quarter ended March 2026. This estimate points to a year-over-year change of +1.8%. Revenues for the quarter are expected to be $3.21 billion, up 1.9% from the year-ago quarter.
Over the last 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for WEC Energy has been revised 4.9% down to the current level. Nevertheless, the company now has an Earnings ESP of +0.54%, reflecting a higher Most Accurate Estimate.
This Earnings ESP, combined with its Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), suggests that WEC Energy will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate. The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters.
Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.
If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) . This company, which is in the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.
This electricity and natural gas provider has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 3.98%.
For the most recent quarter, WEC Energy was expected to post earnings of $1.38 per share, but it reported $1.42 per share instead, representing a surprise of 2.90%. For the previous quarter, the consensus estimate was $0.79 per share, while it actually produced $0.83 per share, a surprise of 5.06%.
Price and EPS Surprise
With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for WEC Energy. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
WEC Energy currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.54%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on May 5, 2026.
With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
, /PRNewswire/ -- WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC) today reported net income of $804.4 million, or $2.45 per share, for the first quarter of 2026 — up from $724.2 million, or $2.27 per share, for last year's first quarter.
Consolidated revenues totaled $3.4 billion, up $284.7 million from the first quarter a year ago.
"The continued execution of our capital plan and focus on operating efficiencies led to solid first-quarter results," said Scott Lauber, president and CEO. "As we build for a growing economy, we remain committed to delivering reliable, safe energy to the customers and communities we serve."
Retail deliveries of electricity — excluding the iron ore mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula — were up by 1.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026, compared to the first quarter last year.
Electricity consumption by small commercial and industrial customers was 0.7 percent higher. Electricity use by large commercial and industrial customers — excluding the iron ore mine — increased by 2.7 percent.
Residential electricity use rose by 0.2 percent.
On a weather-normal basis, retail deliveries of electricity — excluding the iron ore mine — increased by 1.3 percent.
For the quarter, natural gas deliveries in Wisconsin — excluding natural gas used for power generation — decreased by 3.5 percent compared to the first quarter of 2025. On a weather normal basis, these natural gas deliveries were 2.1 percent lower.
The company is reaffirming its 2026 earnings guidance of $5.51 to $5.61 per share. This assumes normal weather for the remainder of the year.
Earnings per share listed in this news release are on a fully diluted basis.
Conference call
A conference call is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central time, Tuesday, May 5. The call will review 2026 first-quarter earnings and the company's outlook for the future.
All interested parties, including stockholders, news media and the general public, are invited to listen. Access the call at 888-330-2443 up to 15 minutes before it begins. The number for international callers is 240-789-2728. The conference ID is 3088105.
Conference call access also is available at wecenergygroup.com. Under 'Webcasts,' select 'Q1 Earnings.' In conjunction with this earnings announcement, WEC Energy Group will post on its website a package of detailed financial information on its first-quarter performance. The materials will be available at 6:30 a.m. Central time, Tuesday, May 5.
Replay
A replay will be available on the website and by phone. Access to the webcast replay will be available on the website about two hours after the call. Access to a phone replay also will be available approximately two hours after the call and remain accessible through May 19, 2026. Domestic callers should dial 800-770-2030. International callers should dial 647-362-9199. The replay conference ID is 3088105.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving 4.8 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
The company's principal utilities are We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Michigan Gas Utilities, Minnesota Energy Resources and Upper Michigan Energy Resources. Another major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants. In addition, WEC Infrastructure LLC owns a fleet of renewable generation facilities in states ranging from South Dakota to Texas.
WEC Energy Group (wecenergygroup.com) is a Fortune 500 company and a component of the S&P 500. The company has approximately 32,000 stockholders of record, 7,000 employees and more than $51 billion of assets.
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning management's expectations and projections regarding earnings, earnings growth rates, dividend payments and future results. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by reference to a future period or periods or by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "guidance," "intends," "may," "objectives," "plans," "possible," "potential," "projects," "should," "targets," "will" or similar terms or variations of these terms.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions, including business and competitive conditions in the company's service territories; timing, resolution and impact of rate cases and other regulatory decisions, including rider reconciliations; the company's ability to continue to successfully integrate the operations of its subsidiaries; availability of the company's generating facilities and/or distribution systems; unanticipated changes in fuel and purchased power costs; key personnel changes; unusual, varying or severe weather conditions; continued industry restructuring and consolidation; continued advances in, and adoption of, new technologies that produce power or reduce power consumption; energy and environmental conservation efforts; electrification initiatives, mandates and other efforts to reduce the use of natural gas; the company's ability to successfully acquire and/or dispose of assets and projects and to execute on its capital plan, including projects related to serving data centers and other large-scale customers; terrorist, physical or cyber-security threats or attacks and data security breaches; construction risks; labor disruptions; equity and bond market fluctuations; changes in the company's and its subsidiaries' ability to access the capital markets; changes in tax legislation or our ability to use certain tax benefits and carryforwards; changes in and uncertainty around federal, state, and local legislation and regulation, including changes in rate-setting policies or procedures and environmental standards, in the enforcement of these laws and regulations and in the interpretation of regulations or permit conditions by regulatory agencies; supply chain disruptions; inflation; political or geopolitical developments impacting the global economy, supply chain and fuel prices generally, including as a result of changes to government trade policies, geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and other countries, or other new, protracted or escalating regional or international conflicts; the impact from any health crises, including epidemics and pandemics; current and future litigation and regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries; the ability of the Company to successfully and/or timely adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence; changes in accounting standards; the financial performance of the American Transmission Company as well as projects in which the company's energy infrastructure business invests; the ability of the company to obtain additional generating capacity at competitive prices; goodwill and its possible impairment; and other factors described under the heading "Factors Affecting Results, Liquidity and Capital Resources" in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and under the headings "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" contained in the company's Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2025, and in subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as may be required by law, the company expressly disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.
Tables follow
WEC ENERGY GROUP, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
March 31
(in millions, except per share amounts)
2026
2025
Operating revenues
$ 3,434.2
$ 3,149.5
Operating expenses
Cost of sales
1,391.0
1,165.7
Other operation and maintenance
608.7
608.0
Depreciation and amortization
379.8
359.9
Property and revenue taxes
74.7
78.4
Total operating expenses
2,454.2
2,212.0
Operating income
980.0
937.5
Equity in earnings of transmission affiliates
59.5
53.6
Other income, net
48.2
18.1
Interest expense
228.5
223.0
Other expense
(120.8)
(151.3)
Income before income taxes
859.2
786.2
Income tax expense
53.1
60.7
Net income
806.1
725.5
Preferred stock dividends of subsidiary
0.3
0.3
Net income attributed to noncontrolling interests
(1.4)
(1.0)
Net income attributed to common shareholders
$ 804.4
$ 724.2
Earnings per share
Basic
$ 2.47
$ 2.28
Diluted
$ 2.45
$ 2.27
Weighted average common shares outstanding
Basic
325.6
318.2
Diluted
328.3
319.3
Dividends per share of common stock
$ 0.9525
$ 0.8925
WEC ENERGY GROUP, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
(in millions, except share and per share amounts)
March 31, 2026
December 31, 2025
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 45.6
$ 27.6
Accounts receivable and unbilled revenues, net of reserves of $156.0 and $148.7, respectively
1,914.4
2,062.7
Materials, supplies, and inventories
612.3
803.4
Prepaid taxes
125.2
178.8
Other prepayments
80.5
92.4
Other
203.0
119.8
Current assets
2,981.0
3,284.7
Long-term assets
Property, plant, and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $12,667.5 and
$12,411.5, respectively
38,707.0
38,278.1
Regulatory assets (March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025 include $65.5 and $67.5, respectively,
related to WEPCo Environmental Trust Finance I, LLC)
3,111.3
3,156.3
Equity investment in transmission affiliates
2,369.5
2,280.4
Goodwill
3,052.8
3,052.8
Pension and OPEB assets
1,098.5
1,082.4
Other
413.9
383.6
Long-term assets
48,753.0
48,233.6
Total assets
$ 51,734.0
$ 51,518.3
Liabilities and Equity
Current liabilities
Short-term debt
$ 2,045.2
$ 1,924.7
Current portion of long-term debt (March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025 include $9.3 related to
WEPCo Environmental Trust Finance I, LLC)
520.4
1,519.4
Accounts payable
830.8
1,140.1
Accrued interest
264.1
161.3
Other
728.9
847.9
Current liabilities
4,389.4
5,593.4
Long-term liabilities
Long-term debt (March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025 include $67.4 related to WEPCo
Environmental Trust Finance I, LLC)
19,381.8
18,498.1
Finance lease obligations
370.4
372.0
Deferred income taxes
5,967.2
5,891.7
Deferred revenue, net
309.6
314.2
Regulatory liabilities
4,114.7
4,121.3
Intangible liabilities
565.3
580.3
Environmental remediation liabilities
474.3
484.1
Asset retirement obligations
660.6
647.0
Other
931.4
963.4
Long-term liabilities
32,775.3
31,872.1
Commitments and contingencies
Common shareholders' equity
Common stock – $0.01 par value; 650,000,000 shares authorized; 325,725,678 and 325,461,519
shares outstanding, respectively
3.3
3.3
Additional paid in capital
5,147.4
5,124.4
Retained earnings
8,987.8
8,493.5
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(7.5)
(7.6)
Common shareholders' equity
14,131.0
13,613.6
Preferred stock of subsidiary
30.4
30.4
Noncontrolling interests
407.9
408.8
Total liabilities and equity
$ 51,734.0
$ 51,518.3
WEC ENERGY GROUP, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
March 31
(in millions)
2026
2025
Operating activities
Net income
$ 806.1
$ 725.5
Reconciliation to cash provided by operating activities
Depreciation and amortization
379.8
359.9
Deferred income taxes and ITCs, net
27.8
55.6
Contributions and payments related to pension and OPEB plans
(3.8)
(3.9)
Equity income in transmission affiliates, net of distributions
(13.3)
2.2
Change in –
Accounts receivable and unbilled revenues, net
77.9
(180.3)
Materials, supplies, and inventories
191.1
237.2
Other current assets
(10.2)
13.0
Accounts payable
(201.0)
(195.4)
Accrued interest
102.8
83.5
Other current liabilities
(47.9)
74.2
Other, net
(90.9)
(8.9)
Net cash provided by operating activities
1,218.4
1,162.6
Investing activities
Capital expenditures
(817.9)
(701.1)
Acquisition of Hardin Solar Energy III LLC, net of cash acquired of $0.2
—
(406.1)
Capital contributions to transmission affiliates
(75.8)
(42.3)
Proceeds from the sale of assets
21.7
—
Reimbursement for American Transmission Company LLC's transmission infrastructure upgrades
—
39.7
Other, net
(14.4)
8.0
Net cash used in investing activities
(886.4)
(1,101.8)
Financing activities
Exercise of stock options
7.4
21.2
Issuance of common stock, net
12.8
117.1
Dividends paid on common stock
(310.1)
(283.6)
Issuance of long-term debt
1,005.2
—
Retirement of long-term debt
(1,118.9)
(17.9)
Change in commercial paper
119.2
209.5
Other, net
(11.2)
(5.9)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
(295.6)
40.4
Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash
36.4
101.2
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period
70.9
42.2
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period
WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.45 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.33 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.27 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +5.30%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this electricity and natural gas provider would post earnings of $1.38 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.42, delivering a surprise of +2.9%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
WEC Energy, which belongs to the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry, posted revenues of $3.43 billion for the quarter ended March 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7.00%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $3.15 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
WEC Energy shares have added about 10.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 5.2%.
What's Next for WEC Energy?While WEC Energy has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for WEC Energy was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.84 on $2.05 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $5.60 on $10.31 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Utility - Electric Power is currently in the top 38% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
One other stock from the same industry, PPL (PPL - Free Report) , is yet to report results for the quarter ended March 2026. The results are expected to be released on May 8.
This energy and utility holding company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.61 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +1.7%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 2.8% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.
PPL's revenues are expected to be $2.62 billion, up 4.7% from the year-ago quarter.
Investors interested in stocks from the Utility - Electric Power sector have probably already heard of RWE AG (RWEOY) and WEC Energy Group (WEC). But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors?
Electrical transmission towers, poles and lines are shown in the early morning of a hot summer day in Commerce, California, U.S, August 7, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
May 5 (Reuters) - Utility firm WEC Energy (WEC.N), opens new tab reported a rise in first-quarter profit on Tuesday, supported by higher sales of power to residential and industrial customers, and said it was working with large hyperscale clients to serve potential load growth of up to 4 gigawatts.
U.S. power consumption is expected to rise further this year, after hitting its second straight annual record high in 2025, driven mainly by Big Techs' race to build energy-intensive data centers to support AI initiatives, and homes and businesses increasingly using electricity for heat and transportation.
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WEC said on a post-earnings call it had received regulatory approval to buy three more solar projects and a battery storage project, with plans to invest $730 million.
Electricity usage from large commercial and industrial customers rose 2.7% during the quarter, while consumption among small commercial and industrial customers increased 0.7%, the company said.
Residential electricity usage edged up 0.2% from a year earlier, lifting total retail electricity deliveries by 1.3%, excluding sales to an iron ore mine.
WEC, which serves nearly 4.7 million electric and natural gas customers across Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, said natural gas deliveries in Wisconsin fell 2.1% in the first quarter.
The company provides natural gas through its We Power and Wisconsin Public Service units.
"The continued execution of our capital plan and focus on operating efficiencies led to solid first-quarter results," said CEO Scott Lauber.
WEC had said in February it would raise capital spending by $1 billion over the next five years as it increases output to power Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab data centers.
The company also expects to add incremental capital spending to its plan in the third quarter.
The company's quarterly net income rose to $804.4 million, or $2.45 per share, from $724.2 million, or $2.27 per share, a year ago.
Reporting by Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Tasim Zahid
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab
Key Takeaways WEC posted Q1 EPS of $2.45, beating estimates and rising 7.9% from the prior-year quarter. WEC revenue rose 9% year over year to $3.43B, driven by higher electricity consumption.WEC plans $37.5B in investments through 2030 to support long-term EPS growth of 7-8%. WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2026 earnings of $2.45 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.33 by 5.15%. The bottom line also increased 7.93% from the year-ago quarter’s $2.27.
WEC’s RevenuesOperating revenues of $3.43 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.21 billion by around 6.98%. The top line also increased 9.02% from $3.15 billion recorded in the year-ago quarter.
Highlights of WEC’s Earnings ReleaseIn the first quarter of 2026, electricity consumption increased 0.7% for small commercial and industrial customers, 2.7% for large commercial and industrial customers, excluding the iron-ore mine, and 0.2% for residential customers.
On a weather-normal basis, retail deliveries of electricity, excluding the iron-ore mine, increased 1.3%.
Total operating expenses were $2.45 billion, up 10.95% from the year-ago level of $2.21 billion, primarily due to higher cost of sales.
Operating income totaled $980 million, up 4.53% from $937.5 million recorded in the year-ago quarter.
The company incurred an interest expense of $228.5 million, up 2.47% from the prior-year level of $223 million.
WEC’s Financial PositionAs of March 31, 2026, WEC had cash and cash equivalents of $45.6 million compared with $27.6 million as of Dec. 31, 2025.
As of March 31, 2026, the company had a long-term debt of $19.38 billion compared with $18.50 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025.
Net cash provided by operating activities during the first three months of 2026 was $1.22 billion compared with $1.16 billion in the year-ago period.
WEC’s GuidanceWEC reaffirmed its 2026 earnings outlook of $5.51-$5.61 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $5.60, which lies at the higher end of the company’s projected range.
The company plans to invest a total of $7.4 billion in modern, efficient natural gas generation and LNG storage, and $12.6 billion to add 6,535 megawatts in renewable energy over the 2026-2030 period.
WEC Energy expects to invest $37.5 billion during the 2026-2030 period, which supports 7-8% long-term EPS growth. The company plans to invest $5.67 billion in 2026.
WEC’s Zacks RankThe company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Upcoming Utilities ReleasesAlgonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (AQN - Free Report) is scheduled to report first-quarter results on May 8. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter EPS is pinned at 11 cents, which implies a year-over-year decrease of 21.43%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter sales is pinned at $697.9 million, which suggests year-over-year growth of 0.79%.
PPL Corporation (PPL - Free Report) is scheduled to report first-quarter results on May 8. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter EPS is pinned at 61 cents, which implies a year-over-year increase of 1.67%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter sales is pinned at $2.62 billion, which suggests year-over-year growth of 4.65%.
Global Water Resources, Inc. (GWRS - Free Report) is scheduled to report first-quarter results on May 14. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter EPS is pinned at a loss of 2 cents, which implies a year-over-year decrease of 200%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter sales is pinned at $13.0 million, which suggests year-over-year growth of 4.33%.
, /PRNewswire/ -- At WEC Energy Group's (NYSE: WEC) annual meeting of stockholders today, Scott Lauber, president and CEO, highlighted another strong year on virtually every meaningful measure — from customer satisfaction, to financial performance, to steady execution of the company's capital plan. He also emphasized how the company is supporting business growth and progress in the region with a focus on safe and reliable energy to millions of customers across the Midwest.
The 2026 annual meeting marked the end of Gale Klappa's tenure on WEC Energy Group's board of directors. Consistent with its stated plans, the board appointed Lauber chairman of the board upon Klappa's retirement.
"Gale's vision, dedication and leadership have been key to bringing us to the strong position we are in today," Lauber said. "Our company and our community are better today because of Gale's contributions. In recognition of all of his accomplishments, the board has given Gale the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus following today's meeting. This is the first time this honor has been bestowed on anyone in the company's more than 125 year history."
Company highlights
Developed the largest five-year capital plan in company history to support energy growth from new data centers and other industries. Ranked No. 1 in the nation again for customer satisfaction in an independent survey of large commercial and industrial energy users. We Energies named best in the Upper Midwest for electric reliability performance as part of PA Consulting's 2025 ReliabilityOne® Awards. Achieved record employee safety performance based on DART-recordable injuries. Brought Wisconsin's first large-scale battery project online and received regulatory approval for a range of projects, including new solar power and natural gas generation now under construction. Through company foundations, identified as largest corporate contributor in Wisconsin to non-profit organizations. Returned a record $1.15 billion to WEC Energy Group stockholders through dividends. Increased the dividend level in January 2026 by 6.7% to an annual rate of $3.81 per share. This marks the 23rd consecutive year of higher dividends. Stockholder actions
During the meeting, stockholders elected the following directors to terms expiring at the 2027 annual meeting: Warner L. Baxter, Ave M. Bie, Danny L. Cunningham, William M. Farrow III, Cristina A. Garcia-Thomas, Maria C. Green, Thomas K. Lane, John D. Lange, Scott J. Lauber, Ulice Payne Jr., Mary Ellen Stanek and Glen E. Tellock.
As recommended by the board of directors, stockholders also voted to:
Ratify Deloitte & Touche LLP as independent auditors for 2026. Approve the compensation of WEC Energy Group's named executive officers (say-on-pay). The board's proposed amendments to the company's Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws to eliminate supermajority voting requirements, did not receive the required stockholder vote for approval.
An advisory proposal to support simple majority vote also did not receive the required stockholder vote for approval.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier energy companies, serving 4.8 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
The company's principal utilities are We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Michigan Gas Utilities, Minnesota Energy Resources and Upper Michigan Energy Resources. Another major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants. In addition, WEC Infrastructure LLC owns a fleet of renewable generation facilities in states ranging from South Dakota to Texas.
WEC Energy Group (wecenergygroup.com) is a Fortune 500 company and a component of the S&P 500. The company has approximately 32,000 stockholders of record, 7,000 employees and more than $51 billion of assets.
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning management's expectations and projections regarding earnings, earnings growth rates, dividend payments and future results. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by reference to a future period or periods or by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "guidance," "intends," "may," "objectives," "plans," "possible," "potential," "projects," "should," "targets," "will" or similar terms or variations of these terms.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions, including business and competitive conditions in the company's service territories; timing, resolution and impact of rate cases and other regulatory decisions, including rider reconciliations; the company's ability to continue to successfully integrate the operations of its subsidiaries; availability of the company's generating facilities and/or distribution systems; unanticipated changes in fuel and purchased power costs; key personnel changes; unusual, varying or severe weather conditions; continued industry restructuring and consolidation; continued advances in, and adoption of, new technologies that produce power or reduce power consumption; energy and environmental conservation efforts; electrification initiatives, mandates and other efforts to reduce the use of natural gas; the company's ability to successfully acquire and/or dispose of assets and projects and to execute on its capital plan, including projects related to serving data centers and other large-scale customers; terrorist, physical or cyber-security threats or attacks and data security breaches; construction risks; labor disruptions; equity and bond market fluctuations; changes in the company's and its subsidiaries' ability to access the capital markets; changes in tax legislation or our ability to use certain tax benefits and carryforwards; changes in and uncertainty around federal, state, and local legislation and regulation, including changes in rate-setting policies or procedures and environmental standards, in the enforcement of these laws and regulations and in the interpretation of regulations or permit conditions by regulatory agencies; supply chain disruptions; inflation; political or geopolitical developments impacting the global economy, supply chain and fuel prices generally, including as a result of changes to government trade policies, geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and other countries, the war in Iran, or other new, protracted or escalating regional or international conflicts; the impact from any health crises, including epidemics and pandemics; current and future litigation and regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries; the ability of the Company to successfully and/or timely adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence; changes in accounting standards; the financial performance of the American Transmission Company as well as projects in which the company's energy infrastructure business invests; the ability of the company to obtain additional generating capacity at competitive prices; goodwill and its possible impairment; and other factors described under the heading "Factors Affecting Results, Liquidity and Capital Resources" in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and under the headings "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" contained in the company's Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2025, and in subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as may be required by law, the company expressly disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.
"Crane Day" Marks Transition From Construction to Final Integration as Company Approaches First Revenue-Generating Operations
MIDLAND, TX / ACCESS Newswire / May 8, 2026 / Waste Energy Corp. ("WEC" or the "Company"), a resource recovery and alternative energy company focused on converting non-recyclable waste into usable fuel and renewable energy products, today announced that it has successfully installed the core equipment for its first commercial-scale waste conversion system at its Midland, Texas facility - a defining operational milestone that moves the Company materially closer to commissioning and revenue-generating operations.
On May 7, 2026, WEC's construction team lifted and positioned approximately 175,000 pounds of primary waste-to-energy conversion equipment onto the system foundation - a combined weight comparable to that of a fully loaded Boeing 737 commercial aircraft. The installation included the Company's core thermal processing units and supporting system components. The single-day operation, internally designated "Crane Day," represents one of the most significant construction milestones in the Company's history and concludes the heavy civil and structural phase of the Midland buildout.
"Crane Day is the moment this project stopped being a construction site and started becoming an operating facility," said Scott Gallagher, CEO of Waste Energy Corp. "Setting the core system in a single day is the culmination of years of planning, disciplined site preparation, and engineering work by our team, and it puts us on a direct path to commissioning. Midland is our first commercial deployment, but it's also our template - every milestone we hit here accelerates the timeline for our next sites."
With the heavy equipment now in place, the Company's focus shifts to final interconnection work, including electrical, piping, welding, controls integration, and system testing. WEC expects these activities to progress over the coming weeks as the facility advances toward initial commissioning.
Strategic Position in the Permian Basin
The Midland facility represents the Company's first commercial-scale deployment of its modular waste conversion technology platform, designed to convert waste tires and other non-recyclable waste streams into usable energy products while supporting landfill diversion. The Company believes Midland's location offers strategic advantages through its proximity to feedstock supply, established energy infrastructure, and industrial fuel demand within the Permian Basin.
WEC has previously announced agreements and relationships supporting feedstock supply, recovered material sales, and participation in regional cleanup and landfill diversion initiatives, including the Basin Beautification Project.
A Platform Built to Scale
The modular design of WEC's waste conversion technology is intended to allow future deployments to benefit from the operational experience, engineering refinements, and process efficiencies developed during the Midland buildout and commissioning process. Concurrently, the Company is advancing planning for additional facilities and evaluating expansion opportunities in regions with strong feedstock availability and energy demand as management believes WEC is approaching a meaningful operational inflection point in its transition toward revenue-generating operations.
About Waste Energy Corp.
Waste Energy Corp. (OTCQB:WAST) is a resource recovery and alternative energy company developing waste-to-energy infrastructure and assets in the United States. The Company is a fully reporting SEC Exchange Act registrant. For more information, visit www.WEC.eco. Investor disclosures are available at www.sec.gov.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding the timing of Crane Day, commissioning and related operational activities, the timing of SEC filings, and the Company's transition to revenue-generating operations. Actual results may differ materially due to risks including delays or cost overruns in installation, integration, or commissioning; the Company's ability to complete its audit and timely file required SEC reports; the need for additional capital; the realization of anticipated revenue streams; and the additional risk factors described in the Company's filings with the SEC at www.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them except as required by law. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's filings with the SEC, including the risk factors disclosed therein, before making any investment decision.
The VictoryShares US Large Cap High Div Volatility Wtd ETF (NASDAQ:CDL) pulls its distribution from dividends paid by large U.S. companies that have screened in for both yield and lower realized volatility. CDL is volatility weighted rather than market-cap weighted (the index methodology pushes back against market-cap concentration risk), which means a handful of regulated utilities and a couple of mega-cap tech names tend to anchor the portfolio. The question for income investors is straightforward: are those underlying dividends durable, or is CDL’s payout at risk?
How CDL produces its yield CDL collects cash dividends from its roughly 100 large-cap holdings and passes them through to shareholders. There are no options premiums, no leverage, and no synthetic income at work. The distribution rises or falls based on what the underlying companies pay. Fund-level details such as the current 30-day SEC yield and expense ratio were not retrievable in our data pull, so this safety read focuses on the dividend health of the listed anchors.
The utility core does the heavy lifting WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC | WEC Price Prediction) raised its quarterly payout 6.7% to $0.9525, extending a 23rd consecutive year of increases on a 3.3% yield. With $3.38 billion in 2025 operating cash flow and 2026 EPS guidance of $5.51 to $5.61, coverage is comfortable. The Illinois $205 million pre-tax regulatory charge is a one-time pressure point, not a structural threat to the payout.
Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) earned $6.31 in adjusted EPS for 2025 against a $4.24 annual dividend, leaving payout coverage near 2x. The $103 billion five-year capital plan and contracted AI demand support 5% to 7% EPS growth through 2030, which translates into a clear runway for continued dividend hikes.
FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) lifted its quarterly dividend 4.5% to $0.465, a 68% payout ratio at the midpoint of 2026 guidance that sits squarely inside the company’s 60% to 70% target band. Alliant Energy and Evergy round out the regulated cohort with quarterly payouts of $0.535 and $0.695 respectively, both stepping up off long-term growth plans tied to data center electricity contracts. The common thread: regulated rate bases, formula-rate recovery mechanisms, and contracted demand growth that make these dividends among the most predictable income streams in the large-cap universe.
The mega-cap tech anomaly For a fund branded around high dividends, the inclusion of Microsoft at a 0.9% yield and Apple at 0.4% looks counterintuitive. Both qualify because they pay growing dividends with extreme coverage. Microsoft stepped its quarterly payout from $0.83 to $0.91 in late 2025, and Apple lifted to $0.27 alongside a $100 billion buyback authorization. These positions add minimal yield but anchor the portfolio with fortress balance sheets.
Total return and rate-environment context CDL has returned 19% over the past year and 11% year to date, so the income is arriving alongside capital appreciation rather than NAV erosion. The 10-year Treasury near 4.4% creates competition for utility yields and pressures valuations, which is the single biggest macro risk to the underlying holdings.
Verdict on the distribution CDL’s payout looks durable. Five regulated utilities with multi-decade dividend records and contracted data-center growth provide the income spine. Microsoft and Apple add ballast without subtracting much from coverage. Investors should size CDL as a steady-income sleeve rather than a high-yield vehicle. Income seekers targeting a 6%-plus yield will find CDL’s headline number trails covered-call alternatives. For an investor wanting reliable, growing dividends from large U.S. names without single-stock concentration, the safety read here is reassuring.
The bearish case on rate-sensitive regulated utilities at current levels is building, and NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE | NEE Price Prediction) at $95.68 is the cleanest example of what Kevin Warsh’s commitment to quantitative tightening will do to the group. The four other names carrying the same exposure are Dominion Energy (NYSE:D) at $62.97, Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) at $68.81, Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) at $80.03, and WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) at $111.64.
Each is leveraged, capex-hungry, and trades partly as a bond proxy. With Core PCE still drifting higher, the 10-year at 4.46%, and the 30-year at 5.02%, balance-sheet runoff keeps tightening work in motion even with the Fed funds upper bound at 3.75%. Warsh has shown no appetite to support the long end if yields spike, which is the core problem.
Why the bulls own these names The buy case rests on power demand with a tailwind. NextEra’s 33 GW backlog and 8%-plus long-term EPS CAGR target through 2032, Xcel’s 1,900 MW Google data center agreement in Minnesota, and Dominion’s Loudoun County hyperscaler exposure all point to multi-year volume growth prior cycles never offered. Eversource is funding a $26.5 billion five-year capital plan against a rate base scaling toward $49.3 billion by 2030, and WEC delivered its 23rd consecutive annual dividend increase. Regulated returns plus AI-era load growth deserves a premium multiple, bulls argue.
Utility yields versus Treasuries Bears focus on the widening gap between utility yields and risk-free paper. NEE pays 2.46% against a 30-year Treasury at 5.02%, and the curve is steepening on the long end. Every name absorbs rising interest expense. Dominion’s Q1 interest charges climbed to $561 million from $481 million while its diluted share count moved from 852.2 million to 880.1 million, a textbook case of capex funded with equity and debt at higher cost. WEC has slipped 3.35% over the past month as the 10-year crept up 16 basis points.
The case for waiting A pause is defensible. The Fed has cut 75 basis points since September and is on hold, leaving room for surprise easing. Earnings trajectories at all five names remain intact with mid-to-high single-digit EPS growth guidance through the back half of the decade. Investors waiting for a clean break of 5% on the 10-year, or a capitulation flush in utility prices, can argue the macro has not yet broken decisively.
Year-to-date performance and valuations NextEra leads with a 19.97% gain, well ahead of the S&P 500’s mid-single-digit move over the same stretch. Xcel is up 9.14%, Dominion 8.61%, WEC 7.64%, and Eversource trails at 3.29%. Analyst targets imply modest headroom: NEE’s $98.93 consensus across 24 analysts works out to roughly 3.4% upside, with 16 of 24 rating it Buy or Strong Buy. ES carries a $71.92 target and WEC a $124.75 target. NEE trades at 24x trailing earnings and 17x EV/EBITDA, the richest of the group; WEC sits at 22x, ES at 15x.
Verdict: the long end wins At $95.68, NextEra Energy looks most exposed to the macro setup.
The path to downside is structural. With Warsh anchored on QT and Core PCE still climbing, long-end yields have a clearer route higher. Utility valuations compress because the income gap versus Treasuries widens and the discount rate applied to multi-decade rate-base cash flows rises. A 24 P/E and a 2.46% yield do not compete with a 5% 30-year for income buyers, and the marginal seller is showing up in WEC and Dominion’s stock action.
The thesis breaks if Warsh reverses, the Fed accelerates easing, or the 10-year decisively breaks below 4%. None are on the near-term radar. WEC and Dominion sit next on the rate-sensitivity ladder given rising interest expense and dilution, while Eversource carries an extra $980 million Connecticut storm prudency review as idiosyncratic regulatory risk. Xcel’s Smokehouse Creek wildfire liabilities cap upside even in a falling-rate scenario.
When the bond market does the Fed’s tightening work, the bond proxies pay first.
A month has gone by since the last earnings report for WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) . Shares have lost about 3.4% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent negative trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is WEC Energy due for a breakout? Well, first let's take a quick look at its latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the recent catalysts for WEC Energy Group, Inc. before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late.
WEC Energy Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Increase Y/Y
WEC Energy Group reported first-quarter 2026 earnings of $2.45 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.33 by 5.15%. The bottom line also increased 7.93% from the year-ago quarter’s $2.27.
WEC’s RevenuesOperating revenues of $3.43 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.21 billion by around 6.98%. The top line also increased 9.02% from $3.15 billion recorded in the year-ago quarter.
Highlights of WEC’s Earnings ReleaseIn the first quarter of 2026, electricity consumption increased 0.7% for small commercial and industrial customers, 2.7% for large commercial and industrial customers, excluding the iron-ore mine, and 0.2% for residential customers.
On a weather-normal basis, retail deliveries of electricity, excluding the iron-ore mine, increased 1.3%.
Total operating expenses were $2.45 billion, up 10.95% from the year-ago level of $2.21 billion, primarily due to higher cost of sales.
Operating income totaled $980 million, up 4.53% from $937.5 million recorded in the year-ago quarter.
The company incurred an interest expense of $228.5 million, up 2.47% from the prior-year level of $223 million.
WEC’s Financial PositionAs of March 31, 2026, WEC had cash and cash equivalents of $45.6 million compared with $27.6 million as of Dec. 31, 2025.
As of March 31, 2026, the company had a long-term debt of $19.38 billion compared with $18.50 billion as of Dec. 31, 2025.
Net cash provided by operating activities during the first three months of 2026 was $1.22 billion compared with $1.16 billion in the year-ago period.
WEC’s GuidanceWEC reaffirmed its 2026 earnings outlook of $5.51-$5.61 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $5.60, which lies at the higher end of the company’s projected range.
The company plans to invest a total of $7.4 billion in modern, efficient natural gas generation and LNG storage, and $12.6 billion to add 6,535 megawatts in renewable energy over the 2026-2030 period.
WEC Energy expects to invest $37.5 billion during the 2026-2030 period, which supports 7-8% long-term EPS growth. The company plans to invest $5.67 billion in 2026.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?In the past month, investors have witnessed a downward trend in estimates revision.
VGM ScoresCurrently, WEC Energy has a average Growth Score of C, however its Momentum Score is doing a bit better with a B. However, the stock was allocated a grade of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for value investors.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
OutlookEstimates have been broadly trending downward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions indicates a downward shift. It's no surprise WEC Energy has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We expect a below average return from the stock in the next few months.
Performance of an Industry PlayerWEC Energy is part of the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry. Over the past month, Dominion Energy (D - Free Report) , a stock from the same industry, has gained 6.2%. The company reported its results for the quarter ended March 2026 more than a month ago.
Dominion Energy reported revenues of $5.02 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +23.1%. EPS of $0.95 for the same period compares with $0.93 a year ago.
Dominion Energy is expected to post earnings of $0.82 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +9.3%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -0.7%.
The overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions translate into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Dominion Energy. Also, the stock has a VGM Score of D.
