Financial Review: Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE:BIPC) and WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC)

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) and Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE:BIPC) are both utilities companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, dividends and profitability.

Dividends

WEC Energy Group pays an annual dividend of $3.81 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Brookfield Infrastructure pays an annual dividend of $1.82 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.9%. WEC Energy Group pays out 73.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. WEC Energy Group has increased its dividend for 23 consecutive years and Brookfield Infrastructure has increased its dividend for 5 consecutive years.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

77.2% of WEC Energy Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.4% of Brookfield Infrastructure shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of WEC Energy Group shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares WEC Energy Group and Brookfield Infrastructure”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
WEC Energy Group	$9.80 billion	3.54	$1.56 billion	$5.16	20.64
Brookfield Infrastructure	$3.70 billion	1.24	N/A	N/A	N/A

WEC Energy Group has higher revenue and earnings than Brookfield Infrastructure.

Profitability

This table compares WEC Energy Group and Brookfield Infrastructure’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
WEC Energy Group	16.69%	12.90%	3.58%
Brookfield Infrastructure	N/A	N/A	N/A

Risk and Volatility

WEC Energy Group has a beta of 0.47, indicating that its stock price is 53% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Brookfield Infrastructure has a beta of 1.31, indicating that its stock price is 31% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for WEC Energy Group and Brookfield Infrastructure, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
WEC Energy Group	0	10	7	1	2.50
Brookfield Infrastructure	2	0	0	0	1.00

WEC Energy Group presently has a consensus target price of $121.91, indicating a potential upside of 14.44%. Brookfield Infrastructure has a consensus target price of $50.00, indicating a potential upside of 34.44%. Given Brookfield Infrastructure’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Brookfield Infrastructure is more favorable than WEC Energy Group.

Summary

WEC Energy Group beats Brookfield Infrastructure on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About WEC Energy Group

WEC Energy Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides regulated natural gas and electricity, and renewable and nonregulated renewable energy services in the United States. It operates through Wisconsin, Illinois, Other States, Electric Transmission, and Non-Utility Energy Infrastructure segments. The company generates and distributes electricity from coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear, as well as renewable energy resources, including wind, solar, hydroelectric, and biomass; and distributes and transports natural gas. It also owns, maintains, monitors, and operates electric transmission systems; and generates, distributes, and sells steam. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated approximately 35,500 miles of overhead distribution lines and 36,500 miles of underground distribution cables, as well as 430 electric distribution substations and 523,700 line transformers; approximately 46,400 miles of natural gas distribution mains; 1,700 miles of natural gas transmission mains; 2.4 million natural gas lateral services; 490 natural gas distribution and transmission gate stations; and 69.3 billion cubic feet of working gas capacities in underground natural gas storage fields. The company was formerly known as Wisconsin Energy Corporation and changed its name to WEC Energy Group, Inc. in June 2015. WEC Energy Group, Inc. was founded in 1896 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

About Brookfield Infrastructure

Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates regulated natural gas transmission systems in Brazil. The company also engages in the regulated gas and electricity distribution operations in the United Kingdom; and electricity transmission and distribution, as well as gas distribution in Australia. It operates approximately 2,000 kilometers of natural gas transportation pipelines in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Minas Gerais; 4.3 million gas and electricity connections; and a global fleet of approximately 7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) intermodal containers under long-term contracts. The company was incorporated in 2019 and is headquartered in New York, New York. Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation operates as a subsidiary of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.