A month has gone by since the last earnings report for WEC Energy Group (WEC). Shares have added about 3.6% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is WEC Energy due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at the most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important drivers.
WEC Energy Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y
WEC Energy Group reported fourth-quarter 2024 earnings of $1.43 per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.44 by 0.7%. However, the bottom line increased 30% from the year-ago quarter’s $1.10.
Operating revenues of $2.28 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.6 billion by around 12.1%. The top line increased 2.7% from $2.22 billion recorded in the year-ago quarter.
Full-year 2024 revenues totaled $8.6 billion, down 3.3% from last year’s recorded figure of $8.89 billion.
Electricity consumption by small commercial and industrial customers increased 0.7% in 2024. The same for large commercial and industrial customers, excluding the iron ore mine, increased 0.1% year over year.
On a weather-normal basis, retail deliveries of electricity, excluding the iron ore mine, during 2024 increased 0.1%.
Total electric sales volume for the quarter was 10,566.4 thousand megawatt-hours, up 0.4% year over year.
Total operating expenses were $1.69 billion, down 10% from the year-ago level of $1.88 billion. This was due to lower cost of sales and a decrease in other operation and maintenance expenses.
Operating income totaled $590.9 million, up 73.1% from $341.4 million recorded in the year-ago quarter.
The company incurred an interest expense of $211.9 million, up 9.5% from the prior-year level of $193.5 million.
As of Dec. 31, 2024, WEC had cash and cash equivalents of $9.8 million compared with $42.9 million as of Dec. 31, 2023.
As of Dec. 31, 2024, the company had a long-term debt of $17.2 billion compared with $15.4 billion as of Dec. 31, 2023.
Net cash provided by operating activities during 2024 was $3.21 billion compared with $3.02 billion in the year-ago period.
WEC 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 $5.23 per share, higher than the midpoint of the company’s guided range.
WEC Energy expects to invest $28 billion in the 2025-2029 period.
It turns out, estimates review have trended upward during the past month.
At this time, WEC Energy has an 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 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.
Estimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of this revision looks promising. Notably, WEC Energy has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.
WEC Energy is part of the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry. Over the past month, NextEra Energy (NEE), a stock from the same industry, has gained 1.9%. The company reported its results for the quarter ended December 2024 more than a month ago.
NextEra reported revenues of $5.39 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of -21.7%. EPS of $0.53 for the same period compares with $0.52 a year ago.
For the current quarter, NextEra is expected to post earnings of $0.99 per share, indicating a change of +8.8% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged over the last 30 days.
NextEra has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) based on the overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions. Additionally, the stock has a VGM Score of D.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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