WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Shares Purchased by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 6.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 72,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,374 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $7,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WEC. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hoey Investments Inc. bought a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. boosted its position in WEC Energy Group by 140.8% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at WEC Energy Group

In other news, VP Joshua M. Erickson sold 2,155 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.77, for a total transaction of $232,244.35. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $289,470.22. This represents a 44.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

WEC Energy Group Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of WEC traded down $1.59 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $105.78. The company had a trading volume of 1,553,743 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,127,568. 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 company has a market capitalization of $33.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a one year low of $77.47 and a one year high of $111.00. The company's fifty day moving average price is $107.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.55.

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, equities analysts forecast that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.8975 per share. This is a boost from WEC Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $3.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WEC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of WEC Energy Group from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $106.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $99.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on WEC Energy Group from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $115.00 price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.13.

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.