Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for WEC Earnings

WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for shares of WEC Energy Group in a report issued on Thursday, November 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.44 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.28. The consensus estimate for WEC Energy Group’s current full-year earnings is $4.87 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for WEC Energy Group’s Q1 2025 earnings at $2.17 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $0.76 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.95 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.30 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.19 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.26 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.85 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $1.11 EPS.

WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on WEC Energy Group from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded WEC Energy Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $94.45.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

WEC opened at $101.36 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $96.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $89.02. WEC Energy Group has a 1 year low of $75.13 and a 1 year high of $101.59. The company has a market capitalization of $32.07 billion, a PE ratio of 24.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.44.

WEC Energy Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.835 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. WEC Energy Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Mary Beth Straka sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.04, for a total value of $301,449.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $340,712.48. This represents a 46.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 1,805 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.40, for a total transaction of $179,417.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 273,248 shares in the company, valued at $27,160,851.20. This represents a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 58,034 shares of company stock worth $5,725,969 in the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in WEC Energy Group by 58.1% in the second quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 321 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Coastline Trust Co acquired a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in WEC Energy Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in WEC Energy Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 77.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

WEC Energy Group Company Profile

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.