WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $86.17.

WEC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $88.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 18th. 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 note on Thursday, January 4th. Barclays cut their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $79.00 to $75.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. StockNews.com cut WEC Energy Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, January 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on WEC Energy Group from $93.00 to $91.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 2nd.

WEC Energy Group Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of WEC opened at $80.28 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.40. WEC Energy Group has a one year low of $75.13 and a one year high of $99.26. The company has a market cap of $25.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.40.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other WEC Energy Group news, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chairman now 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Gale E. Klappa sold 37,180 shares of the business’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 in the company, valued at $21,622,595.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 2,830 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.89, for a total value of $223,258.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 43,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,402,131.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WEC Energy Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 24.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,944 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $734,000 after buying an additional 1,758 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co boosted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 3.6% during the first quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 32,343 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,656,000 after acquiring an additional 1,109 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 9.5% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 7,489 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $615,000 after purchasing an additional 652 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in WEC Energy Group in the first quarter valued at $127,945,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $535,000. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.