FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
by Kim Johansen · The Markets DailyShares of FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE – Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $50.1538.
A number of brokerages have recently commented on FE. Barclays upped their price target on FirstEnergy from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings raised FirstEnergy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on FirstEnergy from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on FirstEnergy from $49.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th.
Insider Activity
In other news, CAO Jason Lisowski sold 1,373 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total value of $69,803.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jon Taylor K. sold 26,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.94, for a total value of $1,365,192.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 119,552 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,089,978.88. This trade represents a 18.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 39,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,989,532 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Trading of FirstEnergy
Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in FirstEnergy by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 324,856 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,885,000 after purchasing an additional 72,964 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in FirstEnergy by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 202,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,263,000 after purchasing an additional 30,955 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. lifted its holdings in FirstEnergy by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 208,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,574,000 after purchasing an additional 27,655 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in FirstEnergy by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,992,975 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $137,138,000 after purchasing an additional 894,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in FirstEnergy during the 4th quarter valued at $256,000. 89.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
FirstEnergy Stock Performance
FirstEnergy stock opened at $51.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. FirstEnergy has a 1 year low of $37.58 and a 1 year high of $52.29. The company has a market cap of $29.70 billion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day moving average is $49.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.21.
FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.01. FirstEnergy had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 10.50%. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.67 EPS. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that FirstEnergy will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.
FirstEnergy Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 7th will be paid a $0.465 dividend. This is a boost from FirstEnergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 7th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. FirstEnergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.14%.
FirstEnergy Company Profile
FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) is a U.S.-based electric utility holding company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. The company’s primary business is the delivery of electricity through its regulated transmission and distribution utilities, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers across parts of the Midwest and Mid‑Atlantic. FirstEnergy’s service territory includes states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia, and it operates primarily within the PJM regional transmission organization.
FirstEnergy’s core activities center on owning and operating electric distribution networks and transmission systems, maintaining and upgrading grid infrastructure, managing storm response and restoration, and offering customer programs that include energy efficiency and reliability services.