The stock price of WEC Energy Group Inc (NYSE: WEC) has dropped by -0.82 compared to previous close of 81.89. Despite this, the company has seen a gain of 3.27% in its stock price over the last five trading days. Seeking Alpha reported 2024-04-02 that Investing in solid and essential companies can provide reliable dividends to passive income investors for years and even decades. The defensive sectors, such as the utility sector, have been under pressure, with both the costs of borrowings rising and seeing risk-free rates as more attractive income alternatives. That said, the one feature that these companies can deliver is dividend growth over time, which Treasuries aren’t going to provide investors; that can be a huge benefit.
Is It Worth Investing in WEC Energy Group Inc (NYSE: WEC) Right Now?
The price-to-earnings ratio for WEC Energy Group Inc (NYSE: WEC) is above average at 19.26x. The 36-month beta value for WEC is also noteworthy at 0.40. There are mixed opinions on the stock, with 1 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 3 rating it as “overweight,” 6 rating it as “hold,” and 1 rating it as “sell.”
The public float for WEC is 315.03M, and at present, short sellers hold a 2.74% of that float. The average trading volume of WEC on April 04, 2024 was 2.29M shares.
WEC’s Market Performance
The stock of WEC Energy Group Inc (WEC) has seen a 3.27% increase in the past week, with a 1.88% rise in the past month, and a -5.91% fall in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 1.63%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.59% for WEC. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is 0.45% for WEC’s stock, with a -2.80% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of WEC
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for WEC stocks, with JP Morgan repeating the rating for WEC by listing it as a “Underweight.” The predicted price for WEC in the upcoming period, according to JP Morgan is $84 based on the research report published on February 02, 2024 of the current year 2024.
BofA Securities, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see WEC reach a price target of $78, previously predicting the price at $84. The rating they have provided for WEC stocks is “Underperform” according to the report published on January 04th, 2024.
BofA Securities gave a rating of “Neutral” to WEC, setting the target price at $86 in the report published on October 17th of the previous year.
WEC Trading at 2.08% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought WEC to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -18.17% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 1.59%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 1.63%, as shares surge +1.87% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading +2.19% upper at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, WEC rose by +3.27%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -11.31% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $80.93. In addition, WEC Energy Group Inc saw -3.50% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at WEC starting from KLAPPA GALE E, who sale 37,180 shares at the price of $78.69 back on Feb 29 ’24. After this action, KLAPPA GALE E now owns 274,782 shares of WEC Energy Group Inc, valued at $2,925,605 using the latest closing price.
Lauber Scott J, the President and CEO of WEC Energy Group Inc, sale 2,830 shares at $78.89 during a trade that took place back on Feb 29 ’24, which means that Lauber Scott J is holding 43,125 shares at $223,247 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for WEC
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.23 for the present operating margin
- 0.43 for the gross margin
The net margin for WEC Energy Group Inc stands at 0.15. The total capital return value is set at 0.05. Equity return is now at value 11.51, with 3.04 for asset returns.
Based on WEC Energy Group Inc (WEC), the company’s capital structure generated 0.62 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.16. The debt to equity ratio resting at 1.6. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 2.87.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 3.35 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 5.19. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 4.99. The receivables turnover for the company is 5.92for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.2. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 0.55.
Conclusion
In summary, WEC Energy Group Inc (WEC) has had a mixed performance as of late. Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with some viewing it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
