CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 34.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 9,000 shares during the quarter. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT's holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $3,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 256.4% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 278 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 54.7% in the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 294 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.20% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.60, for a total value of $166,170.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,353,998.60. This trade represents a 6.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 8,089 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.70, for a total value of $895,452.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 66,801 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,394,870.70. This represents a 10.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 42,354 shares of company stock worth $4,855,505 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.
WEC Energy Group Price Performance
Shares of WEC Energy Group stock opened at $115.80 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.93. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $100.61 and a 12 month high of $119.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.98, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.44.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.03. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.40% and a net margin of 15.90%.The business had revenue of $2.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.
WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.9525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $3.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 78.88%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
WEC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on WEC Energy Group from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on WEC Energy Group from $124.00 to $121.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $121.00 price target on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on WEC Energy Group from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $120.73.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on WEC
About WEC Energy Group
(
Free Report)
WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC's operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.
Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.
Recommended Stories

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider WEC Energy Group, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and WEC Energy Group wasn't on the list.
While WEC Energy Group currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Market downturns give many investors pause, and for good reason. Wondering how to offset this risk? Click the link to learn more about using beta to protect your portfolio.
Get This Free Report