Amundi lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC - Free Report) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 271,756 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,902 shares during the period. Amundi owned about 0.09% of WEC Energy Group worth $25,749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WEC. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 110,644 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $10,405,000 after buying an additional 6,785 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co purchased a new position in WEC Energy Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,538,000. DRW Securities LLC acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,392,000. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 51.0% in the 3rd quarter. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,978 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,883,000 after purchasing an additional 10,126 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gateway Investment Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of WEC Energy Group by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 453,945 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,689,000 after purchasing an additional 78,580 shares in the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
In related news, Director Ulice Payne, Jr. sold 1,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.17, for a total value of $119,795.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 21,951 shares in the company, valued at $2,286,635.67. The trade was a 4.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 274,955 shares in the company, valued at $29,865,612.10. This trade represents a 8.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
A number of equities analysts recently commented on WEC shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $112.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com cut WEC Energy Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America raised shares of WEC Energy Group from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $101.88.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WEC Energy Group
WEC stock traded up $1.78 during trading on Friday, hitting $106.89. The company had a trading volume of 2,173,736 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,009,906. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $100.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.89. 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 cap of $33.76 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.45. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.47 and a 1-year high of $110.19.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.49 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 12.39%. The firm's revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. On average, analysts expect that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current year.
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.
Before you consider WEC Energy Group, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and WEC Energy Group wasn't on the list.
While WEC Energy Group currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.