WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

US Bancorp DE lowered its position in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 0.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 359,559 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,029 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $34,583,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 36.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,566,001 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $201,328,000 after purchasing an additional 688,812 shares during the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,748,141 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $143,557,000 after buying an additional 462,646 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in WEC Energy Group by 151.7% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 583,990 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $56,168,000 after acquiring an additional 351,972 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 10,220.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 303,515 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,192,000 after purchasing an additional 300,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 1st quarter worth about $23,297,000. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WEC Energy Group Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WEC opened at $95.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $30.21 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.13 and a 12-month high of $100.31.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.835 per share. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WEC shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target 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. Barclays upped their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on WEC Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised WEC Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.45.

Insider Transactions at WEC Energy Group

In related news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.45, for a total transaction of $66,337.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,876 shares in the company, valued at $1,934,932.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other WEC Energy Group news, VP Joshua M. Erickson sold 350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.75, for a total value of $31,412.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $213,335.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.45, for a total transaction of $66,337.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,876 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,934,932.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 11,702 shares of company stock worth $1,078,058. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.