With a market cap of $35.9 billion, WEC Energy Group, Inc. (WEC) is a leading energy company serving approximately 4.8 million customers across Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. Its diverse portfolio includes major utility subsidiaries, electric generation through We Power, and renewable energy assets operated by WEC Infrastructure LLC across several U.S. states.
Shares of the electricity and natural gas provider have underperformed the broader market over the past 52 weeks. WEC stock has risen 1.4% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied 20.5%. Moreover, shares of the company are up nearly 4% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's 13.8% gain.
Looking closer, shares of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based company have lagged behind the State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF's (XLU) 2.8% return over the past 52 weeks.
WEC Energy reported Q2 2026 results on Jul. 29, with net income increasing nearly 22% to $299.2 million, or $0.91 per share, driven by higher electricity sales to commercial and industrial customers, including data centers. Revenue also rose 2.6% to $2.06 billion, slightly beating the analyst estimate, and data-center demand strengthened WEC’s long-term growth outlook, with about 15% of its asset base expected to serve data centers and other very large energy users by 2030. The company also reaffirmed its 2026 EPS guidance of $5.51 - $5.61.
However, the stock fell over 2% on that day as the $5.56 midpoint was below the analyst consensus, and overall retail electricity deliveries were essentially flat and residential usage declined 1.1%.
For the fiscal year ending in December 2026, analysts expect WEC Energy's EPS to grow 6.1% year-over-year to $5.59. The company's earnings surprise history is promising. It beat the consensus estimates in each of the last four quarters.
Among the 20 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” That’s based on seven “Strong Buy” ratings, 12 “Holds,” and one “Strong Sell.”
This configuration is slightly less bullish than three months ago, with eight “Strong Buy” ratings.
On Jul. 24, BTIG analyst Alex Kania maintained a “Buy” rating on WEC Energy and a $135 price target.
The mean price target of $122.50 represents a 11.7% premium to WEC's current levels. The Street-high price target of $140 implies a potential upside of 27.6%.
On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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