Aurora Investment Counsel Has $565,000 Stock Position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Aurora Investment Counsel reduced its position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 66.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,876 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 11,455 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $565,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its position in WEC Energy Group by 58.1% in the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. 77.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

WEC Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WEC opened at $99.26 on Thursday. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.13 and a 1-year high of $100.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.40 billion, a PE ratio of 24.27, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $96.48 and its 200-day moving average is $88.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.12. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 15.14%. The company had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.00 EPS. WEC Energy Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.87 earnings per share for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.835 per share. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. WEC Energy Group’s payout ratio is presently 81.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WEC. 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 report on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com raised WEC Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America increased their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on WEC Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $94.45.

Insider Transactions at WEC Energy Group

In other news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 1,805 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.40, for a total transaction of $179,417.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 273,248 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,160,851.20. This trade represents a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Mary Beth Straka sold 3,240 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.04, for a total value of $301,449.60. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,662 shares in the company, valued at $340,712.48. The trade was a 46.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,045 shares of company stock valued at $1,038,807. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.