Are These 5 Utility Stocks Set to Surpass Q3 Earnings Estimates?
Published . Updated .
Key takeaways
- Five utility stocks gear up for Q3 2026 earnings as AI-driven power demand and grid investments fuel growth, while increasing expenses are a headwind.
- Exposed: XLU, NEE, DUK, SO, WM
- Market reaction: NEE +4.9% on the day (still updating); XLU +0.4% on the day (still updating); DUK +2.5% on the day (still updating)
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Five utility stocks gear up for Q3 2026 earnings as AI-driven power demand and grid investments fuel growth, while increasing expenses are a headwind.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- XLU Utilities Select Sector SPDR+3.0% 30d
Utilities Select Sector SPDR: it holds power utilities. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story.
- QQQ Invesco QQQ-9.8% 30d
Invesco QQQ: it holds the big tech and AI names. Linked by “ai” (AI and big tech) in this story.
- NEE NextEra Energy+10.5% 30d
NextEra Energy (electric services): power demand and prices drive utility earnings. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story.
- DUK Duke Energy+7.5% 30d
Duke Energy (electric and other services combined): power demand and prices drive utility earnings. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story.
- SO The Southern+9.7% 30d
The Southern (electric services): power demand and prices drive utility earnings. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story.
- AEP American Electric Power+7.6% 30d
American Electric Power (electric services): power demand and prices drive utility earnings. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story.
- MSFT Microsoft+4.0% 30d
Microsoft (prepackaged software): big tech's AI spending and demand drive its shares. Linked by “ai” (AI and big tech) in this story.
- GOOGL Alphabet-17.2% 30d
Alphabet (computer programming, data processing, etc.): big tech's AI spending and demand drive its shares. Linked by “ai” (AI and big tech) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLU | -2.14% | +0.05% | base | +0.41% | after close | after close | after close |
| QQQNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| NEE | -3.87% | -0.66% | base | +4.93% | after close | after close | after close |
| DUK | -2.27% | +0.74% | base | +2.54% | after close | after close | after close |
| SO | -2.34% | -0.06% | base | -0.86% | after close | after close | after close |
| AEPNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| MSFTNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GOOGLNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
Are These 5 Utility Stocks Set to Surpass Q3 Earnings Estimates? Yahoo Finance
Source: Yahoo Finance
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU) since this story, compared with the market
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy (DUK) | that day | +2.54% | still updating |
| Duke Energy (DUK) | three days earlier | +0.74% | final price |
| Duke Energy (DUK) | five days earlier | -2.27% | final price |
| Nextera Energy (NEE) | that day | +4.93% | still updating |
| Nextera Energy (NEE) | three days earlier | -0.66% | final price |
| Nextera Energy (NEE) | five days earlier | -3.87% | final price |
| Southern (SO) | that day | -0.86% | still updating |
| Southern (SO) | three days earlier | -0.06% | final price |
| Southern (SO) | five days earlier | -2.34% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU) | that day | +0.41% | still updating |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU) | three days earlier | +0.05% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU) | five days earlier | -2.14% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Nextera Energy (NEE) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 2 Oct 2026. That is 33 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Nextera Energy (NEE) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 14 Sep 2026. That is 51 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Nextera Energy (NEE) (jointly held), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 2 Sep 2026. That is 63 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Duke Energy (DUK) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 40 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, sold Duke Energy (DUK), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 24 Aug 2026. That is 72 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, sold Southern (SO), worth $250,001 - $500,000 on 21 Aug 2026. That is 75 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Southern (SO), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 10 Aug 2026. That is 86 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna sold American Electric Power (AEP) (held by a spouse), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 40 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. David J. Taylor bought American Electric Power (AEP), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 26 Aug 2026. That is 70 days before publication. Filed 5 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Microsoft (MSFT) (held by a spouse), worth $250,001 - $500,000 on 2 Oct 2026. That is 33 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Lisa McClain bought Microsoft (MSFT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 30 Sep 2026. That is 35 days before publication. Filed 12 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael Rulli sold Microsoft (MSFT), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 28 Sep 2026. That is 37 days before publication. Filed 2 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Who gains and who loses around Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU)
Companies tied to this story
- XLU Select Sector Spdr Tr
In “Are These 5 Utility Stocks Set to Surpass Q3 Earnings Estimates?,” Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Utilities Select Sector SPDR: it holds power utilities. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story
- NEE Nextera Energy
For “Are These 5 Utility Stocks Set to Surpass Q3 Earnings Estimates?,” Nextera Energy (NEE) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: NextEra Energy (electric services): power demand and prices drive utility earnings. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story
- DUK Duke Energy
For “Are These 5 Utility Stocks Set to Surpass Q3 Earnings Estimates?,” Duke Energy (DUK) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Duke Energy (electric and other services combined): power demand and prices drive utility earnings. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story
- SO Southern
For “Are These 5 Utility Stocks Set to Surpass Q3 Earnings Estimates?,” Southern (SO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: The Southern (electric services): power demand and prices drive utility earnings. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story
- WM Waste Management
In “Are These 5 Utility Stocks Set to Surpass Q3 Earnings Estimates?,” Waste Management (WM) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Waste Management (refuse systems): power demand and prices drive utility earnings. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU)
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU) is the company in “Are These 5 Utility Stocks Set to Surpass Q3 Earnings Estimates?,” the 4 Nov 2026 this story story.
The link for Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU) is this: Utilities Select Sector SPDR: it holds power utilities. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story
A second company, Nextera Energy (NEE), is listed for a different reason: NextEra Energy (electric services): power demand and prices drive utility earnings. Linked by “utility” (power and utilities) in this story
Dates and price levels for Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU)
DUK traded between 112.45 and 125.85 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 124.98. NEE traded between 76.42 and 85.57 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 84.32. XLU traded between 39.05 and 42.88 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 42.56.
A simple score for Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLU)
40 out of 100Price not final
“Are These 5 Utility Stocks Set to Surpass Q3 Earnings Estimates?” scores 40 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 5 linked companies. The price is not final yet.