FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) Sets New 12-Month High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $50.44 and last traded at $49.38, with a volume of 6094159 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $50.10.

The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.01. FirstEnergy had a return on equity of 10.47% and a net margin of 6.76%.The business had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS.

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 given a $0.465 dividend. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. This is a positive change from FirstEnergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 7th. FirstEnergy’s payout ratio is currently 77.73%.

Key Stories Impacting FirstEnergy

Here are the key news stories impacting FirstEnergy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and full-year outlook — FE beat consensus Q4 EPS ($0.53 vs $0.52) and significantly topped revenue expectations; the company affirmed FY2026 core EPS guidance of $2.62–2.82. FirstEnergy Announces 2025 Financial Results, Affirms 2026 Guidance and Provides Long-Term Financial Outlook Focused on Delivering Value to Customers, Communities and Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Large capital plan — management announced a $36 billion capital investment program (2026–2030) expected to drive core earnings CAGR near the top end of prior targets, signaling durable rate-base growth. FirstEnergy announces $36 billion investment plan after posting higher annual profit
• Positive Sentiment: Execution win — Potomac Edison completed a new substation improving reliability for ~2,400 customers, showing on-the-ground capex delivery. New Potomac Edison Substation Delivers More Reliable Power for Berkeley County Customers
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum indicator improved — FE’s relative strength (RS) rating rose to 73, reflecting recent positive price and volume momentum. FirstEnergy sees RS rating climb to 73
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and presentation — management discussed the investment plan, regulatory impacts and guidance in detail; useful for modeling cash flow and rate case timing. FirstEnergy Corp. (FE) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials — the slide deck and results presentation provide details on rate-base ramp and EPS sensitivity assumptions. FirstEnergy Corp. 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational procurement notice — an RFP auction for PIPP customers in Ohio may affect supplier contracting but is not a company earnings driver. FirstEnergy Ohio Utilities’ PIPP RFP Auction: Information Session for Prospective Bidders on Wednesday, February 18, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 pressures and regulatory impacts — GAAP EPS declined year-over-year (from $0.67 to $0.53) and the quarter included impacts from Ohio regulatory orders, creating near-term earnings noise. FirstEnergy (FE) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Funding and execution risk — the sizable capex program boosts long-term growth but raises execution, regulatory approval and financing risks (debt/equity and rate-case timing are key watch items). FirstEnergy’s Bold Grid Investment Plan Drives Earnings Outlook

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on FE. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of FirstEnergy from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on FirstEnergy from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on FirstEnergy from $49.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $48.85.

Institutional Trading of FirstEnergy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FE. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 198.1% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 6,888,967 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $277,350,000 after acquiring an additional 4,578,375 shares during the last quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in FirstEnergy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $123,018,000. BROOKFIELD Corp ON acquired a new position in FirstEnergy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $110,332,000. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 13.5% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 18,344,403 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $841,161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,400 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,506,251 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $246,515,000 after buying an additional 1,977,504 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.41% of the company’s stock.

FirstEnergy Trading Down 0.7%

The company’s fifty day moving average is $46.16 and its 200-day moving average is $45.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.64.

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.