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WEC or EVRG: Which Is a Better Utility Electric Power Stock?
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Utility service providers continue to reap benefits from a number of positive variables, including increased electricity tariffs, customer acquisitions, cost reduction and the deployment of energy-efficiency initiatives. The power business also gains from continuous efforts to make electric infrastructure more resilient to adverse weather conditions and the ongoing switch to affordable, renewable energy sources for electricity production.
Utility companies operating in the United States are taking measures to further strengthen their infrastructure, which includes the process of generation, transmission, distribution, storage and sale of electricity to customers.
Due to their capital-intensive nature, utilities need a steady stream of funding for both new asset acquisitions and infrastructure improvements. Recently, the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered the borrowing rate by 50 basis points. The rate decline should improve the prospects of capital-intensive utilities as their capital servicing costs may go down, boosting margins and profitability.
Utility service providers generally enjoy consistent revenue growth and profitability. Due to their capacity to create cash flows and manage returns, utilities are able to enhance shareholder value via regular dividend payments.
The U.S. electric power sector is gradually moving toward cleaner sources of energy to produce electricity. Per a U.S. Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) report, the annual share of U.S. electricity generation from renewable energy sources will be 23% in 2024 and 25% in 2025. EIA also expects the U.S. power sector to generate 3% (121 billion kilowatt-hours) more electricity this year than in 2023 as a result of increased air-conditioning demand earlier in the summer.
In this blog, we run a comparative analysis on two Zacks Utility — Electric Power companies — WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) and Evergy (EVRG - Free Report) — to decide which one is a better pick for your portfolio.
WEC Energy has a market capitalization of $29.64 billion, while EVRG has $14.04 billion.
WEC & EVRG’s Growth Projections
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WEC Energy’s 2024 earnings is pegged at $4.88 per share on revenues of $9 billion. This indicates year-over-year bottom-line growth of 5.4% and a revenue increase of 1.2%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EVRG’s 2024 earnings is pinned at $3.85 per share on revenues of $5.65 billion. This implies year-over-year bottom-line growth of 8.8% and a revenue improvement of 2.5%.
Price Performance of WEC & EVRG Stocks
In the past three months, WEC’s shares have risen 18.3% compared with the industry's growth of 11.2%. Shares of EVRG have risen 15.5% in the same time frame.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
WEC & EVRG’s Return on Equity (ROE)
ROE is a measure of a company’s efficiency in utilizing shareholders’ funds. The current ROE for WEC Energy and EVRG is 12.26% and 8.5%, respectively, compared with the industry’s 10.42%.
Debt Position of WEC & EVRG
The debt-to-capital ratio is a vital indicator of the financial position of a company. It shows the amount of debt used to run a business. Currently, WEC Energy and EVRG have a debt-to-capital of 60.3% and 56.76%, respectively, compared with the industry’s 60.5%.
The times interest earned (TIE) ratio for WEC Energy is 3.1, and the same for EVRG is 2.4. Since both companies have a TIE ratio exceeding one, it indicates that they have enough financial flexibility to meet their near-term interest obligations.
WEC & EVRG’s Dividend Yield
Utility companies generally distribute dividends and increase shareholders’ value. Currently, the dividend yield for WEC Energy is 3.56%, and the same for EVRG is 4.21%. The dividend yields of these companies are better than the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s average of 1.26%.
Conclusion
Both WEC and EVRG are evenly matched and good picks for your portfolio. They have the potential to improve further from their current position and serve the needs of their growing customer base. However, our choice at this moment is WEC, given its better ROE, TIE ratio and price performance than EVRG.
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WEC or EVRG: Which Is a Better Utility Electric Power Stock?
Utility service providers continue to reap benefits from a number of positive variables, including increased electricity tariffs, customer acquisitions, cost reduction and the deployment of energy-efficiency initiatives. The power business also gains from continuous efforts to make electric infrastructure more resilient to adverse weather conditions and the ongoing switch to affordable, renewable energy sources for electricity production.
Utility companies operating in the United States are taking measures to further strengthen their infrastructure, which includes the process of generation, transmission, distribution, storage and sale of electricity to customers.
Due to their capital-intensive nature, utilities need a steady stream of funding for both new asset acquisitions and infrastructure improvements. Recently, the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered the borrowing rate by 50 basis points. The rate decline should improve the prospects of capital-intensive utilities as their capital servicing costs may go down, boosting margins and profitability.
Utility service providers generally enjoy consistent revenue growth and profitability. Due to their capacity to create cash flows and manage returns, utilities are able to enhance shareholder value via regular dividend payments.
The U.S. electric power sector is gradually moving toward cleaner sources of energy to produce electricity. Per a U.S. Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) report, the annual share of U.S. electricity generation from renewable energy sources will be 23% in 2024 and 25% in 2025. EIA also expects the U.S. power sector to generate 3% (121 billion kilowatt-hours) more electricity this year than in 2023 as a result of increased air-conditioning demand earlier in the summer.
In this blog, we run a comparative analysis on two Zacks Utility — Electric Power companies — WEC Energy Group (WEC - Free Report) and Evergy (EVRG - Free Report) — to decide which one is a better pick for your portfolio.
Both the stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
WEC Energy has a market capitalization of $29.64 billion, while EVRG has $14.04 billion.
WEC & EVRG’s Growth Projections
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WEC Energy’s 2024 earnings is pegged at $4.88 per share on revenues of $9 billion. This indicates year-over-year bottom-line growth of 5.4% and a revenue increase of 1.2%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EVRG’s 2024 earnings is pinned at $3.85 per share on revenues of $5.65 billion. This implies year-over-year bottom-line growth of 8.8% and a revenue improvement of 2.5%.
Price Performance of WEC & EVRG Stocks
In the past three months, WEC’s shares have risen 18.3% compared with the industry's growth of 11.2%. Shares of EVRG have risen 15.5% in the same time frame.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
WEC & EVRG’s Return on Equity (ROE)
ROE is a measure of a company’s efficiency in utilizing shareholders’ funds. The current ROE for WEC Energy and EVRG is 12.26% and 8.5%, respectively, compared with the industry’s 10.42%.
Debt Position of WEC & EVRG
The debt-to-capital ratio is a vital indicator of the financial position of a company. It shows the amount of debt used to run a business. Currently, WEC Energy and EVRG have a debt-to-capital of 60.3% and 56.76%, respectively, compared with the industry’s 60.5%.
The times interest earned (TIE) ratio for WEC Energy is 3.1, and the same for EVRG is 2.4. Since both companies have a TIE ratio exceeding one, it indicates that they have enough financial flexibility to meet their near-term interest obligations.
WEC & EVRG’s Dividend Yield
Utility companies generally distribute dividends and increase shareholders’ value. Currently, the dividend yield for WEC Energy is 3.56%, and the same for EVRG is 4.21%. The dividend yields of these companies are better than the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s average of 1.26%.
Conclusion
Both WEC and EVRG are evenly matched and good picks for your portfolio. They have the potential to improve further from their current position and serve the needs of their growing customer base. However, our choice at this moment is WEC, given its better ROE, TIE ratio and price performance than EVRG.