WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Shares Bought by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC – Get Rating) by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,086 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,986 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $5,284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WEC. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 142.7% in the second quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Charter Oak Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 74.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 950 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction on Monday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.59, for a total value of $92,710.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 21,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,085,986.25. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Glen E. Tellock bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $91.39 per share, with a total value of $91,390.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $91,390. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.59, for a total value of $92,710.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,085,986.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WEC. StockNews.com began coverage on WEC Energy Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 12th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $100.00 to $109.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 14th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $93.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 17th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $109.00 to $94.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 20th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded WEC Energy Group from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, WEC Energy Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $98.91.

WEC Energy Group Price Performance

NYSE:WEC opened at $96.56 on Tuesday. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $80.82 and a 52 week high of $108.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $30.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $94.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $97.33.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.10. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.13% and a net margin of 14.94%. The company had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.83 billion. Equities analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.4 EPS for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 14th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 13th. This is a boost from WEC Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. WEC Energy Group’s payout ratio is presently 66.59%.

WEC Energy Group Company Profile

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WEC Energy Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides regulated natural gas and electricity, and renewable and nonregulated renewable energy services in the United States. The company operates through six segments: Wisconsin, Illinois, Other States, Electric Transmission, Non-Utility Energy Infrastructure, and Corporate and Other.