WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Shares Sold by John G Ullman & Associates Inc.

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 30.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,550 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,100 shares during the quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dearborn Partners LLC grew its position in WEC Energy Group by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 582,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $49,022,000 after buying an additional 131,797 shares during the period. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL grew its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 428,408 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,059,000 after purchasing an additional 14,084 shares during the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 13.8% in the third quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 205,489 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $16,552,000 after purchasing an additional 24,892 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 2.3% in the third quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 44,471 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,582,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WEC Energy Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,855,000. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WEC has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of 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. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $78.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, January 4th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $88.00 price target on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $86.38.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

NYSE:WEC opened at $81.56 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The company has a market cap of $25.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.40. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.13 and a fifty-two week high of $98.80. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $79.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.34.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.02. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 14.98% and a return on equity of 12.17%. The company had revenue of $2.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. WEC Energy Group’s revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 14th will be paid a $0.835 dividend. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 13th. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.69, for a total value of $2,925,694.20. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 274,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,622,595.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 2,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.89, for a total transaction of $223,258.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 43,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,402,131.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.69, for a total transaction of $2,925,694.20. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 274,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,622,595.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.