Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Sells 2,009 Shares of WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC decreased its position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 8.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,009 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $1,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WEC. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT raised its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 2.0% during the second quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 6,047 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $474,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in WEC Energy Group by 58.1% in the 2nd quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its stake in WEC Energy Group by 2.7% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 5,099 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $419,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC boosted its position in WEC Energy Group by 2.1% during the first quarter. MPS Loria Financial Planners LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $551,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 52.6% during the first quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 412 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.20% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Joshua M. Erickson sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.75, for a total value of $31,412.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $213,335.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, VP Anthony Reese sold 1,362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.78, for a total transaction of $120,918.36. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $129,796.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Joshua M. Erickson sold 350 shares of WEC Energy Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.75, for a total transaction of $31,412.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $213,335.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,702 shares of company stock worth $1,078,058. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of WEC opened at $94.72 on Friday. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a one year low of $75.13 and a one year high of $96.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $83.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.91 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.44.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. WEC Energy Group had a return on equity of 12.26% and a net margin of 15.85%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 14th were paid a dividend of $0.835 per share. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 14th. WEC Energy Group’s payout ratio is currently 72.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WEC. KeyCorp boosted their target price on WEC Energy Group from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com downgraded WEC Energy Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $98.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $91.31.

About WEC Energy Group

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.