AQR Capital Management LLC Buys 35,824 Shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 299,530 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 35,824 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.09% of WEC Energy Group worth $28,168,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WEC. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in WEC Energy Group by 3,828.6% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at $52,000. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 140.8% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WEC traded up $1.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $109.86. The company had a trading volume of 2,219,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,141,280. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.47 and a 12 month high of $111.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $35.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.74, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $106.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $101.19.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.39% and a net margin of 17.75%. WEC Energy Group's revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.97 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.8975 per share. This is a positive change from WEC Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $3.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. WEC Energy Group's payout ratio is 73.91%.

Insider Activity at WEC Energy Group

In other WEC Energy Group news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.62, for a total transaction of $2,715,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 274,955 shares in the company, valued at $29,865,612.10. This represents a 8.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.17, for a total transaction of $119,795.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 21,951 shares in the company, valued at $2,286,635.67. This represents a 4.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WEC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of WEC Energy Group from an "underweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $106.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $99.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on WEC Energy Group from $112.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised WEC Energy Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $105.38.

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.