Collar Capital Management LLC Buys New Holdings in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Collar Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 22,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,124,000. WEC Energy Group accounts for about 1.8% of Collar Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WEC. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 3,828.6% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new position in WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its stake in WEC Energy Group by 140.8% in the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.62, for a total value of $2,715,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 274,955 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,865,612.10. This trade represents a 8.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,150 shares of the business'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 transaction of $119,795.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 21,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,286,635.67. This represents a 4.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

WEC Energy Group Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WEC traded down $0.31 on Friday, reaching $107.65. The company had a trading volume of 2,308,106 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,149,054. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.29, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.47 and a 52-week high of $111.00. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $107.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.43.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.09. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 12.39%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.97 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.8975 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This is an increase from WEC Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $3.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WEC shares. Scotiabank set a $115.00 price target on shares of WEC Energy Group and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of WEC Energy Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $99.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded WEC Energy Group from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $106.00 to $108.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $107.13.

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.