HM Payson & Co. Decreases Stock Holdings in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

HM Payson & Co. lessened its stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,449 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 469 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $1,005,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEC. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 58.1% during the second quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 52.6% during the first quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 412 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on WEC shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $94.45.

Insider Buying and Selling at WEC Energy Group

In other news, VP Anthony Reese sold 1,362 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.78, for a total value of $120,918.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $129,796.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP William J. Guc sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.99, for a total transaction of $557,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 7,702 shares in the company, valued at $716,208.98. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Anthony Reese sold 1,362 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.78, for a total transaction of $120,918.36. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at $129,796.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,702 shares of company stock worth $1,078,058 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

WEC Energy Group Trading Down 0.6 %

WEC opened at $95.48 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.18 billion, a PE ratio of 22.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.44. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a one year low of $75.13 and a one year high of $100.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.74. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $95.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $87.07.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.26% and a net margin of 15.85%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.87 EPS for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.835 per share. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.14%.

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.