WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $94.45.

A number of research firms have issued reports on WEC. StockNews.com upgraded WEC Energy Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Scotiabank raised their target price on WEC Energy Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on WEC Energy Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP William J. Guc sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.99, for a total transaction of $557,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,208.98. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other WEC Energy Group news, VP Mary Beth Straka sold 3,240 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.04, for a total value of $301,449.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at $340,712.48. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP William J. Guc sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.99, for a total transaction of $557,940.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $716,208.98. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WEC Energy Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Coastline Trust Co bought a new position in WEC Energy Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the second quarter worth about $36,000. 77.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

WEC Energy Group Stock Down 0.5 %

WEC traded down $0.46 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $97.39. 1,382,939 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,156,595. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.94, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.44. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $96.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.03. WEC Energy Group has a 12-month low of $75.13 and a 12-month high of $100.31. 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 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that WEC Energy Group will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a $0.835 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.43%. WEC Energy Group's payout ratio is 81.66%.

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.