WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lessened its stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 539,395 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 27,428 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.17% of WEC Energy Group worth $50,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 15.6% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,075 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,027,000 after buying an additional 2,845 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in WEC Energy Group by 238.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 12,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,195,000 after acquiring an additional 8,751 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in WEC Energy Group by 3.9% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,428 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $426,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 4.7% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 2,980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 56.6% in the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 6,523 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 2,358 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.20% of the company’s stock.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of WEC Energy Group stock opened at $108.22 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $105.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.21. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.47 and a 52 week high of $111.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.44.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.06). WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.39% and a net margin of 17.75%. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.8975 per share. This is a positive change from WEC Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. This represents a $3.59 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.91%.

Insider Activity at WEC Energy Group

In other WEC Energy Group news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.62, for a total transaction of $2,715,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 274,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,865,612.10. This represents a 8.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,150 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.17, for a total transaction of $119,795.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,951 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,286,635.67. This represents a 4.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $112.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays upgraded WEC Energy Group from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $89.00 to $93.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com raised WEC Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised WEC Energy Group from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the company from $106.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $104.38.

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.