WEC Energy Group, Inc. $WEC Stock Holdings Increased by Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. lifted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 550.0% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 293,851 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 248,640 shares during the quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $29,616,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WEC. John Boyer Inc. purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Paladin Partners LLC purchased a new position in WEC Energy Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new position in WEC Energy Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 77.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on WEC. Wall Street Zen upgraded WEC Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $127.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $106.50 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $121.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research report on Friday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, WEC Energy Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at WEC Energy Group

In related news, VP Margaret Kelsey sold 18,380 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.37, for a total transaction of $2,157,260.60. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 12,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,429,331.86. The trade was a 60.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

WEC Energy Group Price Performance

Shares of WEC Energy Group stock opened at $117.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.71, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.43. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $99.80 and a 12 month high of $120.15.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.21. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 13.49% and a net margin of 17.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 5.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be paid a $0.9525 dividend. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.15%.

WEC Energy Group Company Profile

WEC Energy Group is a regulated energy holding company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Through its subsidiaries, it generates, transmits and distributes electricity and provides natural gas service to residential, commercial and industrial customers. The company’s utility operations serve communities across Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota. Its businesses include electric and gas utilities, as well as natural gas storage and related energy services. WEC Energy Group adopted its current name in 2015, following the combination of Wisconsin Energy Corporation and Integrys Energy Group.