Custom Index Systems LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,529 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $238,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 7.0% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 64,388 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,205 shares during the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in WEC Energy Group by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,644 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $10,405,000 after buying an additional 6,785 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,538,000. DRW Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,392,000. Finally, Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 51.0% in the 3rd quarter. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,978 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,883,000 after buying an additional 10,126 shares during the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Activity
In related news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 40,269 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.56, for a total transaction of $4,009,181.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 273,248 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,204,570.88. This trade represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 6,720 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.89, for a total value of $677,980.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 45,709 shares in the company, valued at $4,611,581.01. This represents a 12.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 48,794 shares of company stock worth $4,866,579. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
WEC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays upgraded WEC Energy Group from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $89.00 to $93.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Scotiabank lifted their target price on WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of WEC Energy Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America raised shares of WEC Energy Group from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $98.40.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on WEC Energy Group
WEC Energy Group Stock Down 0.2 %
WEC Energy Group stock opened at $99.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $96.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.46. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.13 and a 1-year high of $102.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.12. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 15.14%. The company had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current year.
WEC Energy Group Cuts Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.835 dividend. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. WEC Energy Group's payout ratio is 81.66%.
About WEC Energy Group
(
Free Report)
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.
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