WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Shares Purchased by ClearBridge Investments Ltd

ClearBridge Investments Ltd raised its position in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,951,762 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 85,569 shares during the period. WEC Energy Group comprises about 4.8% of ClearBridge Investments Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. ClearBridge Investments Ltd owned about 0.62% of WEC Energy Group worth $183,544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WEC. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth about $904,000. Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in WEC Energy Group by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,396 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,764,000 after buying an additional 653 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 50,629 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,761,000 after acquiring an additional 2,492 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth $116,000. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 44,266 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,163,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WEC traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $108.80. 1,150,782 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,090,142. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market cap of $34.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $104.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.20. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.47 and a 1-year high of $111.00.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 12.39%. The firm's revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at WEC Energy Group

In other WEC Energy Group news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.62, for a total transaction of $2,715,500.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 274,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,865,612.10. The trade was a 8.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.17, for a total transaction of $119,795.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,286,635.67. This trade represents a 4.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank upped their price target on WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on WEC Energy Group from $112.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $108.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays upgraded shares of 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 research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $101.88.

WEC Energy Group Profile

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.