Utilities sector roundup — 2026-10-19

Utilities moved in the opposite direction of the broader market on Friday, returning 1.38%¹ while the S&P 500 fell 1.11%². This performance placed the sector second out of 11 S&P 500 sectors³.

The move was broad, with 90.3% of the sector's stocks rising⁴ and a median return of 1.81%⁵. Gains were driven by NiSource Inc. (3.47%), CMS Energy Corporation (2.63%), and WEC Energy Group, Inc. (2.52%)⁶˒⁷˒⁸. Even among the largest holdings, The Southern Company rose 2.24%⁹ and NextEra Energy, Inc. climbed 1.06%¹⁰, though Constellation Energy Corporation Common Stock fell 1.32%. Other decliners included Vistra Corp. (-1.39%) and AES Corporation (-0.13%)¹¹˒¹².

Looking at longer timeframes, the sector has seen a 1.89% return over the last week¹³ and a 1.9% return over the last month. This monthly performance puts Utilities 2.04 percentage points ahead of the S&P 500¹⁴. However, the sector remains behind the index over a three-month window by 8.61 percentage points¹⁵, following a 3-month return of -6.04%¹⁶ and a 12-month return of -9.32%¹⁷.