Duality Advisers LP Takes Position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Duality Advisers LP bought a new position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 32,181 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,709,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dearborn Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 29.2% during the 4th quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 582,421 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $49,022,000 after buying an additional 131,797 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL boosted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 428,408 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,059,000 after buying an additional 14,084 shares in the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 205,489 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $16,552,000 after buying an additional 24,892 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 44,471 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter worth about $1,855,000. Institutional investors own 77.20% of the company's stock.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WEC traded up $0.41 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $81.97. 1,642,572 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,140,883. The company's 50 day moving average price is $79.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.38. The firm has a market cap of $25.86 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.40. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.13 and a 52 week high of $98.80.

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

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be paid a $0.835 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.07%. WEC Energy Group's payout ratio is 79.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WEC shares. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered WEC Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on WEC Energy Group from $93.00 to $91.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Bank of America reissued an "underperform" rating and issued a $78.00 target price (down previously from $84.00) on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on WEC Energy Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $88.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $86.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other WEC Energy Group news, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the company'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 value of $2,925,694.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 274,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,622,595.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 2,830 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was 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 directly owns 43,125 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,402,131.25. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.69, for a total value of $2,925,694.20. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 274,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,622,595.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.