Zacks Research Forecasts Lower Earnings for WEC Energy Group

WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for WEC Energy Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, April 29th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $2.20 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.24. The consensus estimate for WEC Energy Group's current full-year earnings is $5.23 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for WEC Energy Group's Q2 2025 earnings at $0.76 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.86 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.84 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $0.92 EPS.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 12.39%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.97 earnings per share.

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

WEC Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of WEC traded up $0.98 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $109.68. 806,617 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,133,134. WEC Energy Group has a 52 week low of $77.47 and a 52 week 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. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $106.90 and a 200-day moving average of $101.19. The stock has a market cap of $35.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.75, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.8975 per share. This represents a $3.59 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. This is an increase from WEC Energy Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. WEC Energy Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 73.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,150 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was 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 directly owns 21,951 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,286,635.67. This trade represents a 4.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 274,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,865,612.10. The trade was a 8.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WEC Energy Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marcum Wealth LLC grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 1.3% in the first quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 7,416 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $808,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group grew its stake in WEC Energy Group by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Clean Yield Group now owns 867 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. MJP Associates Inc. ADV increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 3,019 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in WEC Energy Group by 3.0% during the first quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,335 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 2,198 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $207,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 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.