WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) Sets New 12-Month High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• WEC Energy Group reached a new **52-week high** of $114.36 during trading, closing at $114.16 with a trading volume of over **2 million shares**.
• The company recently announced a **quarterly EPS of $0.76**, exceeding analysts' expectations and posting a **13.4% increase in revenue** year-over-year.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on WEC Energy Group, with **three ratings of Buy**, a consensus of **Hold**, and some firms adjusting their target prices downward, indicating potential caution among investors.

WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $114.36 and last traded at $114.16, with a volume of 2120849 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $112.85.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on WEC shares. UBS Group set a $107.00 target price on WEC Energy Group and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut WEC Energy Group from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their target price for the company from $106.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut WEC Energy Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $106.89.

WEC Energy Group Trading Up 1.2%

The company has a market cap of $36.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $109.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.22.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.05. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.90% and a net margin of 17.87%.The company had revenue of $2.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.67 EPS. The business's revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.170-5.270 EPS. Analysts forecast that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th were paid a $0.8925 dividend. This represents a $3.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 14th. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is 68.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 9,231 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.88, for a total value of $1,023,533.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 56,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,258,399.84. This represents a 14.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 5,960 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.98, for a total value of $661,440.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 274,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,516,059.62. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 68,448 shares of company stock worth $7,581,132 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WEC Energy Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEC. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 365.4% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 754 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 642,778 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $70,050,000 after buying an additional 34,526 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 72,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,952,000 after buying an additional 4,374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 1st quarter valued at $203,000. Institutional investors own 77.20% of the company's stock.

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.

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