Despite all the turmoil in the global economy over the impact of higher oil prices from the war in Iran, the stocks of most publicly held electrical manufacturers distributors and contractors are seeing solid and at times spectacular growth year-to-date.
As 2026’s second quarter draws to a close, 32 of the stocks that EM tracks from the electrical market or adjacent industry verticals (see chart below) had logged double-digit growth through June 23. Few major electrical stocks checked in with year-to-date returns lower than the Dow Jones, NASDAQ and S&P 500 market indices. Three that did were lighting stocks: Acuity (-17.5%); Signify (-14.9%); and Osram Licht AG (+0.4%).
Four companies are celebrating YTD  stock price growth of +100% or better: Hammond Power Systems, with a YTD return of +138%; Comfort Systems (+103.1%), a contractor that focuses on the HVAC and electrical contracting markets; Arrow (+102.5%), the electronics distributor; and Generac (+100.3%).
Amongst the 20 stocks that enjoyed YTD returns of +30% or better were three large electrical contractors — IES Holdings (+80.8%); Quanta Services (+65.8%) and EMCOR (+36.5%). Wesco (+43.4%) and W.W. Grainger (+30%) were two of the larger distributors in the lead pack, as were two major providers of electrical or power equipment for data centers – Vertiv Holdings Co. (+94.7%) and GE Vernova (+57.4%).
Generac’s stock price is an interesting study in Wall Street’s potential volatility and cyclical nature.  In late 2018, Generac’s share prices began a three-year climb from the $60 level to a high of $498.61 in Oct. 2021 — a gain of +731%. That gain evaporated in just two years, when the stock plummeted to roughly $80 per share by Oct. 2023.