WEC Energy Q1 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y

WEC Energy Group WEC reported first-quarter 2025 earnings of $2.27 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.19 by 3.7%. The bottom line also increased 15.2% from the year-ago quarter’s $1.97. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.)WEC’s RevenuesOperating revenues of $3.15 billion surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.82 billion by around 11.9%. The top line also increased 17.5% from $2.68 billion recorded in the year-ago quarter. WEC Energy Group, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise WEC Energy Group, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | WEC Energy Group, Inc. QuoteHighlights of WEC’s Earnings ReleaseElectricity consumption by small commercial and industrial customers increased 2.1% in the first quarter. The same for large commercial and industrial customers, excluding the iron ore mine, increased 1.1% year over year.On a weather-normal basis, retail deliveries of electricity, excluding the iron ore mine, increased 0.7%.Total electric sales volume for the quarter was 10,628.8 thousand megawatt-hours, up 1.1% year over year.Total operating expenses were $2.21 billion, up 18.2% from the year-ago level of $1.87 billion. This was due to higher cost of sales and an increase in other operational and maintenance expenses.Operating income totaled $937.5 million, up 15.2% from $813.4 million recorded in the year-ago quarter.The company incurred an interest expense of $223 million, up 16.1% from the prior-year level of $192 million.WEC’s Financial PositionAs of March 31, 2025, WEC had cash and cash equivalents of $82.2 million compared with $9.8 million as of Dec. 31, 2024.As of March 31, 2025, the company had a long-term debt of $16.2 billion compared with $17.2 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024.Net cash provided by operating activities during the first three months of 2025 was $1.16 billion compared with $0.86 billion in the year-ago period.WEC’s GuidanceWEC reaffirmed its 2025 earnings projection in the range of $5.17-$5.27 per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the metric is pegged at $5.24 per share, higher than the midpoint of the company’s guided range.WEC Energy expects to invest $28 billion in the 2025-2029 period.WEC’s Zacks RankThe company currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Recent ReleasesIDACORP IDA reported first-quarter 2025 earnings of $1.10 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.03 by 6.8%.IDA’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 8.47%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings is pinned at $5.81 per share, which implies a year-over-year improvement of 5.6%.Exelon Corporation’s EXC first-quarter 2025 earnings of 92 cents per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 85 cents by 8.3%.EXC’s long-term earnings growth rate is 6.42%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 sales is pinned at $24.01 billion, which indicates year-over-year growth of 4.3%.Pinnacle West Capital Corporation PNW reported first-quarter 2025 loss of 4 cents per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of earnings of 5 cents by 180%.PNW’s long-term earnings growth rate is 2.12%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings is pinned at $4.51 per share, which implies a year-over-year decline of 13.9%. 5 Stocks Set to DoubleEach was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2024. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%.Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Exelon Corporation (EXC): Free Stock Analysis Report WEC Energy Group, Inc. (WEC): Free Stock Analysis Report Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (PNW): Free Stock Analysis Report IDACORP, Inc. (IDA): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks