WEC Energy Group, Inc. $WEC Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group trimmed its stake in WEC by 6.3% in Q4, selling 86,577 shares and now holds 1,285,132 shares worth about $135.53 million (~0.40% of the company).
• WEC beat Q1 estimates, reporting $2.45 EPS and $3.43 billion revenue (up ~9% YoY), while FY‑2026 guidance of $5.51–$5.61 per share is essentially in line with consensus.
• WEC declared a quarterly dividend of $0.9525 (annualized $3.81, ~3.3% yield), payable June 1 to shareholders of record May 14.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,285,132 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 86,577 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.40% of WEC Energy Group worth $135,530,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 16.9% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,698 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,820,000 after acquiring an additional 2,417 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 41.3% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,839 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,925,000 after purchasing an additional 7,841 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 44,286 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,616,000 after purchasing an additional 3,006 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 477.4% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 333,552 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,756,000 after purchasing an additional 275,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 8.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 58,364 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,082,000 after purchasing an additional 4,730 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.20% of the company's stock.

WEC Energy Group Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of WEC stock opened at $114.01 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $115.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.13 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.44. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $100.61 and a 1-year high of $119.62.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.15. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.25% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The company had revenue of $3.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.32 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.27 EPS. The business's revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.9525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $3.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.88%.

Key Headlines Impacting WEC Energy Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat estimates: WEC reported $2.45 EPS on $3.43B revenue, each above consensus, with revenue up ~9% year-over-year — evidence of solid core demand and margin performance. WEC Energy Group reports first-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger power demand and commercial opportunity: Reuters highlights rising Q1 profit driven by higher residential and industrial sales and management saying it’s working with hyperscale customers on potential load growth up to 4 GW — a multi‑year demand growth driver if realized. Utility WEC Energy's first-quarter profit rises on stronger power demand
• Positive Sentiment: Data-center pipeline could expand loads: A We Energies executive told local press another hyperscale data center announcement could come by fall — reinforcement of the 4 GW opportunity and potential long-term load growth for the utility. Another data center could be announced by fall: We Energies executive
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance largely in-line: WEC set EPS guidance at $5.510–$5.610, effectively matching consensus (~$5.60). That reduces surprise risk but offers limited upside surprise potential. Listen to Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call details available: The Q1 earnings call transcript provides management comments on growth opportunities and execution; useful for judging timing and risks around hyperscale projects and capital plans. WEC Energy Group, Inc. (WEC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation scrutiny and investor re‑rating: Analysts and columnists are re‑examining WEC’s valuation after the recent run, highlighting comparisons with peers and questioning upside given the in‑line guidance — pressure that can prompt short‑term profit‑taking. Assessing WEC Energy Group (WEC) Valuation As Investors Revisit The Stock’s Recent Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Peer/value comparisons may cap near-term upside: Coverage comparing WEC to European utility RWE and other peers flags relative value metrics that could keep analysts cautious and cap multiple expansion. RWEOY or WEC: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?

Insider Activity at WEC Energy Group

In other WEC Energy Group news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 8,089 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.70, for a total transaction of $895,452.30. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 66,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,394,870.70. The trade was a 10.80% 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, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.44, for a total value of $2,886,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 276,600 shares in the company, valued at $31,930,704. This trade represents a 8.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 42,354 shares of company stock valued at $4,855,505. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WEC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Friday, January 30th. Argus raised WEC Energy Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $117.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $127.00 target price on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $122.13.

WEC Energy Group Company Profile

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.

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.