WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $120.6429.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WEC shares. Wall Street Zen lowered WEC Energy Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Mizuho set a $125.00 price objective on WEC Energy Group in a report on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on WEC Energy Group from $121.00 to $113.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on WEC Energy Group from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on WEC Energy Group in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock.

WEC Energy Group Stock Down 0.5%

WEC stock opened at $104.68 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.05 billion, a PE ratio of 19.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.58. WEC Energy Group has a 52 week low of $92.85 and a 52 week high of $118.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $107.90 and a 200 day moving average of $109.16.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 12.60%. The business had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter. WEC Energy Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.170-5.270 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that WEC Energy Group will post 5.23 earnings per share for the current year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.9525 dividend. This is an increase from WEC Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.89. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $3.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. WEC Energy Group’s payout ratio is currently 67.49%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 16,698 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after buying an additional 2,417 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 41.3% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,839 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,925,000 after acquiring an additional 7,841 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 7.8% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 22,549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,457,000 after acquiring an additional 1,634 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its position in WEC Energy Group by 3.8% during the first quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 4,852 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in WEC Energy Group by 7.4% in the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,773 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $738,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the period. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About WEC Energy Group

WEC Energy Group is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based regulated energy holding company whose primary businesses are the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the distribution of natural gas. The company operates through a set of utility subsidiaries that provide bundled energy service, customer billing and energy-related programs to residential, commercial and industrial customers. As a regulated utility group, WEC’s operations focus on delivering reliable service while managing infrastructure investment and compliance with state and federal utility regulation.

Its utility subsidiaries include well-known regional operators such as We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, along with Chicago-area natural gas utilities that were part of the Integrys Energy Group acquisition.