WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Shares Sold by MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC

MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC decreased its holdings in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 221 shares during the quarter. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $616,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Coastline Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in WEC Energy Group in the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group during the third quarter worth $50,000. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

NYSE WEC opened at $95.55 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $96.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.84. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.13 and a twelve month high of $102.79. The company has a market capitalization of $30.23 billion, a PE ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.48.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.8925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This is a boost from WEC Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $3.57 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. WEC Energy Group’s payout ratio is currently 81.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 6,720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.89, for a total transaction of $677,980.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 1,805 shares of the 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 sale, the director now directly owns 273,248 shares of the company’s stock, 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 valued at $4,866,579. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on WEC shares. StockNews.com raised shares of WEC Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on WEC Energy Group from $97.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Barclays raised WEC Energy Group from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $89.00 to $93.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Bank of America upgraded WEC Energy Group from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on WEC Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price objective for the company. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.40.

WEC Energy Group Company 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.