Earnest Partners LLC Purchases 30,989 Shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Earnest Partners LLC raised its stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,015,758 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 30,989 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC owned 0.64% of WEC Energy Group worth $189,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 3,828.6% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 275 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hoey Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 140.8% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

WEC Energy Group Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:WEC traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $108.44. The company had a trading volume of 693,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,132,748. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $106.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $101.02. The firm has a market cap of $34.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.44. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.47 and a 1-year high of $111.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.60.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.06). WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 12.39%. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.8975 dividend. This is an increase from WEC Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $3.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.91%.

Insider Transactions at WEC Energy Group

In related news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.62, for a total value of $2,715,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 274,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,865,612.10. This represents a 8.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,150 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,286,635.67. This trade represents a 4.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by 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.