38,289 Shares in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Acquired by Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 38,289 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,223,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at WEC Energy Group

In other WEC Energy Group news, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 274,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,622,595.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 2,830 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 274,782 shares in the company, valued at $21,622,595.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

WEC Energy Group Trading Up 1.2 %

WEC stock traded up $0.99 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $83.83. 1,731,997 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,127,041. The stock's fifty day moving average is $80.94 and its 200-day moving average is $81.43. The company has a market cap of $26.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.13 and a 52-week high of $95.95.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.07. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 13.01%. The business had revenue of $2.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.61 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.835 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.98%. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is 72.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of WEC Energy Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded WEC Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on WEC Energy Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $88.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, WEC Energy Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $86.29.

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.

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