Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Sells 1,946 Shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV reduced its holdings in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 10.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,853 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,946 shares during the quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $1,334,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WEC. Balentine LLC boosted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 2.7% during the third quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 4,899 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 36,086 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,037,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Keystone Financial Group boosted its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Keystone Financial Group now owns 3,211 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $270,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 1.4% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 10,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $828,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,796 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $656,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

WEC Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WEC traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $80.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,252,427 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,162,475. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $81.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.61. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.13 and a 52 week high of $93.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.07. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 13.01% and a net margin of 16.67%. The company had revenue of $2.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.835 per share. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 13th. WEC Energy Group’s payout ratio is presently 72.93%.

Insider Activity at WEC Energy Group

In other WEC Energy Group news, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.69, for a total transaction of $2,925,694.20. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 274,782 shares in the company, valued at $21,622,595.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other WEC Energy Group news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 2,830 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.89, for a total transaction of $223,258.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 43,125 shares in the company, valued at $3,402,131.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.69, for a total value of $2,925,694.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 274,782 shares in the company, valued at $21,622,595.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WEC shares. Barclays decreased their price target on WEC Energy Group from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. StockNews.com upgraded WEC Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $96.00 to $90.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. KeyCorp boosted their price target on WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on WEC Energy Group in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $88.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $86.29.

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.