WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 986,287 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 28,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.31% of WEC Energy Group worth $83,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at WEC Energy Group

In other news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 2,830 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related 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 transaction, the chairman now directly owns 274,782 shares in the company, valued at $21,622,595.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $223,258.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 43,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,402,131.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WEC has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered WEC Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of 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. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on WEC Energy Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $88.00 target price on the stock. Barclays reduced their price target on WEC Energy Group from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered WEC Energy Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, January 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, WEC Energy Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $86.29.

WEC Energy Group Price Performance

WEC stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $83.22. The stock had a trading volume of 1,780,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,750,358. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.13 and a 52-week high of $96.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $80.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.41. The company has a market cap of $26.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.40.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.92 billion. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 13.01%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.61 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.87 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 Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be given a $0.835 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 13th. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.01%. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.93%.

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.