Rathbones Group PLC Grows Stock Position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. $WEC

Key Points

• Rathbones Group increased its WEC Energy Group stake by 5.2% in the first quarter, adding 40,639 shares to own 828,174 shares worth approximately $95.9 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 77.2% of WEC’s stock.
• WEC’s second-quarter earnings beat expectations at $0.91 per share versus the $0.80 consensus, although revenue of $2.06 billion missed forecasts. Management reaffirmed 2026 earnings guidance of $5.51–$5.61 per share and cited infrastructure investment and commercial electricity demand as growth drivers.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.9525 per share, equivalent to a $3.81 annualized payout and a 3.5% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $123.20.

Rathbones Group PLC increased its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 828,174 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 40,639 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC owned 0.25% of WEC Energy Group worth $95,878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WEC. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 113.9% in the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 246 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 972.7% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 236 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.20% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about WEC Energy Group

Here are the key news stories impacting WEC Energy Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: WEC reported second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings of $0.91 per share, exceeding the $0.80 analyst consensus and rising from $0.76 a year earlier. Rate-base growth, infrastructure investment and stronger commercial electricity demand helped lift profitability. WEC Energy Group Announces Q2 and First Half 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its 2026 earnings guidance of approximately $5.51 to $5.61 per share, consistent with the current analyst consensus near $5.59. The company also highlighted a roughly $37.5 billion capital investment plan, which is intended to expand the rate base and support future regulated growth. WEC Energy Group Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Growing electricity needs from commercial customers and potential additional data centers in Wisconsin could provide incremental long-term demand and strengthen the case for investment in generation and transmission capacity. WEC Energy Says More Data Centers May Be Coming to Wisconsin
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerages collectively maintain a “Moderate Buy” recommendation, suggesting analysts remain generally constructive but are not signaling an overwhelming near-term catalyst. WEC Energy Group Receives Moderate Buy Recommendation
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue of approximately $2.06 billion fell short of the roughly $2.11 billion consensus estimate. Although revenue increased year over year, the miss and unchanged guidance appear to be weighing on the shares after the earnings release. WEC Energy Beats Earnings Forecast but Revenue Miss and Outlook Weigh on Shares

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel Krueger sold 4,665 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total value of $517,628.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,346 shares in the company, valued at approximately $815,112.16. This trade represents a 38.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

WEC Energy Group Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE WEC opened at $109.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $113.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.78. The company has a market capitalization of $35.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.47. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.11 billion. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 16.69%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.76 earnings per share. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $119.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research note on Friday, June 26th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $117.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Mizuho set a $124.00 price target on WEC Energy Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, WEC Energy Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $123.20.

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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