Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Increases Stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lifted its holdings in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,365,851 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 142,666 shares during the period. WEC Energy Group comprises about 1.5% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned 0.43% of WEC Energy Group worth $131,368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WEC. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 58.1% during the second quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.20% of the company's stock.

WEC Energy Group Trading Up 0.0 %

WEC Energy Group stock traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $97.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,234,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,119,805. The stock's fifty day moving average is $97.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $89.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.46. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.13 and a 1 year high of $102.79.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.93 billion. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 15.14%. The company's revenue was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.89 EPS for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.8925 dividend. This represents a $3.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. This is an increase from WEC Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. WEC Energy Group's payout ratio is 87.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WEC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on WEC Energy Group from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of WEC Energy Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $108.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $102.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, WEC Energy Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $96.18.

Insider Transactions at WEC Energy Group

In other news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 1,805 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.40, for a total value of $179,417.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 273,248 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,160,851.20. The trade was a 0.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 6,720 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,611,581.01. The trade was a 12.82 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 48,794 shares of company stock worth $4,866,579. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About WEC Energy Group

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.