Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 1,286,818 Shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. $WEC

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 28.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,236,154 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,286,818 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.99% of WEC Energy Group worth $341,285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Syon Capital LLC increased its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 6,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $675,000 after buying an additional 1,344 shares during the period. Havemeyer Place LP bought a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $172,000. OneAscent Financial Services LLC bought a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $264,000. OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $206,000. Finally, Pinebridge Investments LLC bought a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,480,000. 77.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

WEC Energy Group Trading Up 1.5%

WEC opened at $112.91 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $113.97 and its 200-day moving average is $111.62. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.49 and a 1-year high of $119.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The company has a market cap of $36.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.54, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.47.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.15. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 16.25% and a return on equity of 12.72%. The business had revenue of $3.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.32 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.27 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.510-5.610 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a dividend of $0.9525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel Krueger sold 4,665 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total transaction of $517,628.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,346 shares in the company, valued at $815,112.16. This trade represents a 38.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of WEC Energy Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 24th. Argus upgraded shares of WEC Energy Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $117.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $127.00 price target on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, WEC Energy Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $122.13.

About WEC Energy Group

WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC’s operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.

Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.