Dearborn Partners LLC Raises Stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Dearborn Partners LLC raised its stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 29.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 582,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 131,797 shares during the period. WEC Energy Group makes up 1.8% of Dearborn Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Dearborn Partners LLC owned approximately 0.18% of WEC Energy Group worth $49,022,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RFG Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 21,327 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,795,000 after buying an additional 3,554 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,406 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,110 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. now owns 27,821 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,342,000 after buying an additional 3,826 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Walter & Keenan Wealth Management LLC IN ADV purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter worth $204,000. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of WEC Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of WEC Energy Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 13th. Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $78.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $86.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.69, for a total transaction of $2,925,694.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 274,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,622,595.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 2,830 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.89, for a total transaction of $223,258.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 43,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,402,131.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.69, for a total transaction of $2,925,694.20. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 274,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,622,595.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

WEC Energy Group Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:WEC traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $81.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,068,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,221,228. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.13 and a 52 week high of $99.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $25.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.40. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $79.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.42.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.02. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 14.98% and a return on equity of 12.17%. The business had revenue of $2.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.80 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Company Profile

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.