23 Consecutive Years of Dividend Increases… U.S. Utilities Confirm 8% Growth Guidance

WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE: WEC) announced on February 5 that its 2025 GAAP net income totaled approximately $1.6 billion, with revenues of $9.8 billion. Despite incurring a one‐time expense related to a settlement with the Illinois attorney general, adjusted earnings per share rose 8% year-over-year to $5.27.

The company reaffirmed its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $5.51–$5.61 and maintained its long-term EPS growth target of 7–8%. It also raised its quarterly dividend by 6.7% to $0.9525—marking 23 consecutive years of annual dividend increases.

On February 13 and 17, board chairman Gale E. Klappa exercised 30,000 stock options and sold the same number of shares at roughly $115 each, generating about $3.5 million in proceeds. He continues to hold direct equity valued at approximately $31.5 million.

In its fourth-quarter 2025 results, WEC beat the adjusted EPS consensus for the eighth straight quarter and once again confirmed its 2026 EPS guidance of $5.51–$5.61. The company also formalized a mid- to long-term capital expenditure plan of about $37.5 billion and approved the 6.7% dividend increase.

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, WEC Energy Group is a regulated utility holding company serving some 4.7 million electric and gas customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota through its subsidiaries Wisconsin Energy and Peoples Gas. WEC is a member of the S&P 500 and Fortune 500.

The U.S. utility sector is regarded as a defensive sector due to its regulated, stable cash flows and dividend profile. In the Midwest, the expansion of power and gas infrastructure and growing data-center power demand are cited as the primary growth drivers.