FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $49.7143.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FE shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on FirstEnergy from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on FirstEnergy from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Mizuho set a $51.00 price target on FirstEnergy in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Scotiabank reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James F. Oneil sold 7,945 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.60, for a total transaction of $402,017.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $94,571.40. This trade represents a 80.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jon Taylor K. sold 26,800 shares of FirstEnergy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.94, for a total value of $1,365,192.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 119,552 shares in the company, valued at $6,089,978.88. The trade was a 18.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 39,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,989,532 over the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstEnergy

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in FirstEnergy by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,381 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its holdings in FirstEnergy by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 4,677 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 10,253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $425,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 23,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,064,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. 89.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

FirstEnergy Price Performance

FE stock opened at $51.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $29.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.02. FirstEnergy has a 1 year low of $37.58 and a 1 year high of $52.29.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that FirstEnergy will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.465 per share. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. This is a boost from FirstEnergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 7th. FirstEnergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.68%.

About FirstEnergy

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.