Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Increases Position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,629 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,492 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC's holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $4,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WEC. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 2.2% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 201,182 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $19,350,000 after buying an additional 4,411 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 73,176 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,038,000 after purchasing an additional 1,367 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 55,222 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,311,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. purchased a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth $202,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 11.5% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 24,957 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,400,000 after purchasing an additional 2,583 shares during the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on WEC shares. Barclays upgraded WEC Energy Group from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $89.00 to $93.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America raised shares of WEC Energy Group from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $98.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $112.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com cut WEC Energy Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $101.88.

WEC Energy Group Stock Down 0.7 %

WEC traded down $0.73 on Friday, hitting $107.80. The company had a trading volume of 564,203 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,336,280. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $104.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.27. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.47 and a 12-month high of $111.00.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.06). WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 12.39%. The business had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at WEC Energy Group

In other news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,150 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.17, for a total value of $119,795.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,951 shares in the company, valued at $2,286,635.67. This trade represents a 4.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 25,000 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 8.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.