Johnson Financial Group Inc. Invests $4.21 Million in WEC Energy Group, Inc. $WEC

Key Points

• Johnson Financial Group acquired 36,089 WEC Energy Group shares worth approximately $4.21 million, while institutional investors collectively own 77.2% of the utility company.
• WEC exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $0.91 versus the $0.80 consensus estimate, although revenue of $2.06 billion fell short of forecasts. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $121.91.
• WEC announced a quarterly dividend of $0.9525 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.81 and a 3.5% yield. The company’s payout ratio is 73.84%, while a director recently sold 980 shares.

Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 36,089 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,214,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in WEC Energy Group by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,319 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Inscription Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Inscription Capital LLC now owns 2,036 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 1.7% in the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 5,511 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 5.7% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,762 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $184,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 1,964 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WEC has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $122.00 to $114.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of WEC Energy Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, May 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $124.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered WEC Energy Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $110.50 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $117.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, WEC Energy Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $121.91.

WEC Energy Group Price Performance

WEC Energy Group stock opened at $109.38 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $113.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.64 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $102.95 and a 12-month high of $119.91.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.11. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.69% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.76 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% 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, equities research analysts forecast that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.9525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $3.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at WEC Energy Group

In related news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 980 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.58, for a total transaction of $103,468.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 19,588 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,068,101.04. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

About WEC Energy Group

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.

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