GET DAILY SIGNALSWEC Energy Group (WEC) Delivers +42% Year-Over-Year EPS Growth in Q3
Key Takeaways
- WEC Energy Group reported third-quarter 2026 net income of $389.3 million, or $1.18 per diluted share, compared with $271.3 million, or $0.83 per share, in the same quarter last year.
- Operating revenues increased to $2.29 billion, up about 8.9% from $2.10 billion a year earlier and ahead of consensus estimates.
- The company raised and tightened its full-year 2026 earnings guidance to a range of $5.60 to $5.64 per share from the prior range of $5.51 to $5.61 per share.
- Results benefited from warmer-than-normal weather, progress on the capital plan, and contributions from Very Large Customers (VLCs), which include large industrial and data-center energy users in Wisconsin.
- Weather-normalized retail electricity deliveries, excluding the iron ore mine and VLCs, rose just 0.4%, showing that weather contributed meaningfully to the quarter’s growth.
Why These Earnings Matter
WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee-based regulated utility that serves roughly 4.8 million customers across Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. Utilities like this one generate returns on invested capital through regulated rates, so quarterly results are less about headline profit swings and more about what they reveal regarding rate-base growth, load trends, and the ability to fund major infrastructure projects. This report carried extra weight because management used it to update the capital plan and raise full-year guidance. For investors, the central question remains whether demand from emerging large customers can support EPS growth beyond weather-related gains.
Breaking Down the Reported Results
WEC Energy Group posted third-quarter 2026 net income attributable to common shareholders of $389.3 million, or $1.18 per diluted share, versus $271.3 million, or $0.83 per share, a year earlier. The result surpassed the Zacks consensus estimate of $0.98 per share by more than 20%. Operating revenues reached $2.29 billion, up from $2.10 billion and above the FactSet estimate of $2.27 billion. Retail electricity deliveries excluding the iron ore mine and VLCs climbed 3.3%, with residential use rising 5.1% and small commercial and industrial consumption up 3.5%. On a weather-normalized basis, however, deliveries excluding those large customers grew only 0.4%. Management pointed to warmer-than-normal weather, execution of the capital plan, and operating efficiency as primary drivers. The company also lifted and narrowed its 2026 EPS guidance to $5.60–$5.64, assuming normal weather for the rest of the year, and reiterated its expectation for a long-term EPS compound annual growth rate of 7%–9%+ through 2031. I also checked comparable names in the sector using Tickeron’s AI Screener to see how WEC stacks up on key fundamentals.
Market Reaction and Sentiment
Sentiment ahead of the report was constructive, and the results largely confirmed that outlook. The stock closed at $110.50 before the release, and the combination of an EPS beat, higher revenue, and an upward revision to full-year guidance created a generally positive backdrop. The raised guidance stood out as a focal point because it signaled confidence in the balance of 2026 and reduced some uncertainty around near-term earnings. At the same time, the portion of the quarterly gain tied to favorable weather remains a factor investors are weighing, given that weather is not a repeatable earnings driver.
Forward Outlook and Items to Monitor
Looking ahead, regulatory outcomes and the pace of capital deployment stand out as the most important items to watch. The company has rate requests pending in Wisconsin for test years 2027 and 2028, with final orders expected by year-end and new rates effective in January 2027 and 2028. Filings at Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas in Illinois are also under review, where an administrative law judge has proposed a 9.48% return on equity. Investors should also track load growth tied to VLCs and broader economic development in Wisconsin, which supports the expanded capital plan. Management increased its capital plan by roughly $10 billion and continues to expect long-term EPS growth of 7%–9%+ through 2031, aided in part by projects that earn cash returns during construction. Financing execution is another area to follow, as the company plans to meet needs through cash from operations, incremental debt, and $5 billion to $5.5 billion in common equity over the next five years. Rising interest expense remains a cost headwind worth monitoring alongside weather conditions in the fourth quarter. From what I see, regulatory clarity will be key to sustaining the growth trajectory.
Using Tickeron’s AI Screener in Practice
I often turn to Tickeron’s AI Screener when evaluating utility names like WEC. The tool lets me quickly filter peers by fundamentals, technical patterns, and performance metrics so I can place the latest results in broader context without spending hours on manual screening. It has become a regular part of my workflow for spotting comparable setups across the sector.
Disclaimer
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Contributor
Sergey Savastiouk, Ph.D. has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow University and has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, investor, manager, and mathematician. His professional expertise is in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, system and pattern analysis, and software and hardware system integration. He has served as the CEO of several hi-tech start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, which has given him proven capabilities in business strategy for high-tech start-up companies, market assessment, company formation, team building, product development, marketing, and sales. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines on related fields. As a retail investor, he spent 15 years developing his proprietary trading and quantitative algorithms (now Tickeron’s A.I.), which brought him significant returns in trading the stock market. His current work and goal in founding Tickeron is to bring professional, sophisticated stock market analysis capabilities to retail investors via an easy-to-use interface.
Momentum Indicator for WEC turns positive, indicating new upward trend
WEC saw its Momentum Indicator move above the 0 level on October 06, 2026. This is an indication that the stock could be shifting in to a new upward move. Traders may want to consider buying the stock or buying call options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 90 similar instances where the indicator turned positive. In 50 of the 90 cases, the stock moved higher in the following days. The odds of a move higher are at 56%.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for WEC just turned positive on October 02, 2026. Looking at past instances where WEC's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 25 of 45 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 56%.
WEC moved above its 50-day moving average on October 13, 2026 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend.
The 10-day moving average for WEC crossed bullishly above the 50-day moving average on October 20, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted higher and could be considered a buy signal. In 7 of 14 past instances when the 10-day crossed above the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 50%.
Following a +0.31% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where WEC advanced for three days, in 151 of 316 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 48%.
Bearish Trend Analysis
The 10-day RSI Indicator for WEC moved out of overbought territory on October 28, 2026. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 35 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In 15 of the 35 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at 43%.
The Stochastic Oscillator demonstrated that the ticker has stayed in the overbought zone for 15 days. The longer the ticker stays in the overbought zone, the sooner a price pull-back is expected.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where WEC declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 42%.
WEC broke above its upper Bollinger Band on October 22, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
The Aroon Indicator for WEC entered a downward trend on October 12, 2026. This could indicate a strong downward move is ahead for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 31 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 51, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 45 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to consistent earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 47 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. WEC’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of 50 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 63 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 67 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (2.547) is normal, around the industry mean (2.062). P/E Ratio (21.291) is within average values for comparable stocks, (14.711). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (1.992) is also within normal values, averaging (1.785). Dividend Yield (0.034) settles around the average of (0.053) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (3.342) is also within normal values, averaging (187.392).
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General Information
a provider of electric and natural gas distribution services
Industry ElectricUtilities
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