Thomasville National Bank Increases Position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC)

Thomasville National Bank raised its position in WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 184,416 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,644 shares during the period. WEC Energy Group accounts for 1.2% of Thomasville National Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Thomasville National Bank’s holdings in WEC Energy Group were worth $17,342,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 64,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,193,000 after buying an additional 4,205 shares during the last quarter. DRW Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,392,000. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC grew 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 buying an additional 10,126 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc grew its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 62,873 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,047,000 after buying an additional 7,646 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of WEC Energy Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $532,000. 77.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

WEC Energy Group Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE WEC traded down $0.54 during trading on Monday, reaching $92.87. 405,618 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,607,438. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $96.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.62. WEC Energy Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.13 and a twelve month high of $102.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $29.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.12. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 15.14% and a return on equity of 11.72%. The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that WEC Energy Group, Inc. will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WEC Energy Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.8925 per share. This represents a $3.57 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. This is an increase from WEC Energy Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.84. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio is 87.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at WEC Energy Group

In other news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 40,269 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.56, for a total value of $4,009,181.64. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 273,248 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,204,570.88. This trade represents a 12.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 6,720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.89, for a total transaction of $677,980.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 45,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,611,581.01. The trade was a 12.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 48,794 shares of company stock worth $4,866,579 in the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WEC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $108.00 to $109.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of WEC Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $97.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.40.

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.