WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Holdings Decreased by Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC

Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 18.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 84,670 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 19,290 shares during the period. WEC Energy Group comprises 1.7% of Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Hunter Perkins Capital Management LLC's holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $7,962,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 106,685.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 26,000,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,500,680,000 after buying an additional 25,975,652 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 17,270.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,718,179 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $453,794,000 after buying an additional 4,691,017 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 102.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,776,071 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $362,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,912,223 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 17.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,806,360 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $462,276,000 after purchasing an additional 699,177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 57.7% during the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,900,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $182,765,000 after purchasing an additional 695,317 shares during the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of WEC traded up $2.83 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $100.84. 2,826,749 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,891,378. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $96.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.98. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.13 and a twelve month high of $102.79.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.12. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 15.14% and a return on equity of 11.72%. The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. WEC Energy Group's quarterly revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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 given a dividend of $0.835 per share. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WEC. StockNews.com upgraded shares of WEC Energy Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays upgraded WEC Energy Group from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $89.00 to $93.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on WEC Energy Group from $97.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Bank of America raised WEC Energy Group from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $98.40.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 6,720 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.89, for a total value of $677,980.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 45,709 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,611,581.01. The trade was a 12.82 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 1,805 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.40, for a total transaction of $179,417.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 273,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,160,851.20. This trade represents a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 48,794 shares of company stock worth $4,866,579. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.