ICW Investment Advisors LLC Acquires 425 Shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 425 shares during the quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $1,093,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,374 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $837,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Balentine LLC increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 4,899 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 3,979 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $321,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 10,283 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $828,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mcdonald Partners LLC increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 5,847 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of WEC stock traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $83.16. 934,682 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,122,810. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.13 and a 12-month high of $96.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The company has a market cap of $26.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $80.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.42.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.02. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.17% and a net margin of 14.98%. The firm had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be issued a $0.835 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.02%. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.69, for a total value of $2,925,694.20. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 274,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,622,595.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.69, for a total value of $2,925,694.20. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 274,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,622,595.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 2,830 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.89, for a total value of $223,258.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 43,125 shares in the company, valued at $3,402,131.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $93.00 to $91.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on WEC Energy Group from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on WEC Energy Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $88.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $78.00 target price (down from $84.00) on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.64.

WEC Energy Group Company Profile

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.