WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) Sets New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• WEC Energy Group shares hit a new 52-week low, trading as low as $102.94, below the 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $109.57 and $112.80, respectively.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $121.91, despite several recent target-price reductions.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.91, beating estimates, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.9525, equivalent to a 3.7% annualized yield.

WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $102.94 and last traded at $102.9560, with a volume of 987615 shares. The stock had previously closed at $103.51.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of WEC Energy Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $117.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial cut their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $122.00 to $114.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on WEC Energy Group from $120.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their target price on WEC Energy Group from $126.00 to $117.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $121.91.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $109.57 and a 200 day moving average of $112.80.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.11. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.69% and a return on equity of 12.90%. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.76 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. Equities analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $0.9525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling at WEC Energy Group

In other news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 980 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.58, for a total transaction of $103,468.40. Following the sale, the director owned 19,588 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,068,101.04. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of WEC Energy Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 121,431 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,179,000 after purchasing an additional 9,591 shares during the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth $1,155,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 377.5% during the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 15,666 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,652,000 after buying an additional 12,385 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 106.3% in the first quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 44,046 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,099,000 after buying an additional 22,697 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 96,430 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $11,260,000 after acquiring an additional 12,773 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.20% of the company's stock.

About WEC Energy Group

WEC Energy Group is a diversified energy holding company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Through its utility subsidiaries, the company generates and distributes electricity and delivers natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers.

WEC Energy Group serves customers primarily in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota. Its operating companies include We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Upper Michigan Energy Resources, Minnesota Energy Resources, Michigan Gas Utilities, North Shore Gas, and Peoples Gas.

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