Research Analysts Offer Predictions for WEC Q4 Earnings

WEC Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE:WEC) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for WEC Energy Group in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, November 21st. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the utilities provider will earn $1.44 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. WEC Energy Group had a net margin of 15.14% and a return on equity of 11.72%. WEC Energy Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share.

WEC has been the subject of several other research reports. KeyCorp raised their target price on WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of WEC Energy Group from $103.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of WEC Energy Group from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of WEC Energy Group in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $102.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of WEC Energy Group from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $94.45.

WEC Energy Group Stock Performance

Shares of WEC Energy Group stock opened at $101.36 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $32.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.78, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $96.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $89.02. WEC Energy Group has a 1-year low of $75.13 and a 1-year high of $101.59.

WEC Energy Group Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gale E. Klappa sold 40,269 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 273,248 shares in the company, valued at $27,204,570.88. This represents a 12.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Scott J. Lauber sold 6,720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.89, for a total transaction of $677,980.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,709 shares in the company, valued at $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 58,034 shares of company stock worth $5,725,969 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WEC Energy Group

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEC. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in shares of WEC Energy Group by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 2,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT lifted its holdings in 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 during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. boosted 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Drake & Associates LLC boosted its position in WEC Energy Group by 2.0% in the third quarter. Drake & Associates LLC now owns 6,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $598,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park National Corp OH increased its position in shares of WEC Energy Group by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 3,964 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. 77.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.