FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.3077.

Several research firms have commented on FE. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of FirstEnergy from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Mizuho set a $51.00 price target on FirstEnergy in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings downgraded FirstEnergy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. UBS Group lowered 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. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on FirstEnergy from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstEnergy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 418.0% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 270,183 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,878,000 after purchasing an additional 218,020 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in FirstEnergy by 52.7% in the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 42,632 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,716,000 after buying an additional 14,718 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. lifted its position in FirstEnergy by 1,379.5% in the 2nd quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 114,945 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,628,000 after buying an additional 107,176 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lifted its position in FirstEnergy by 218.6% in the 2nd quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 62,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,506,000 after buying an additional 42,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 33.8% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 425,860 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $17,145,000 after buying an additional 107,579 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.41% of the company’s stock.

FirstEnergy Stock Performance

FE stock opened at $50.98 on Tuesday. FirstEnergy has a 1 year low of $37.58 and a 1 year high of $51.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.96, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.57. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $47.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.16.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.01. FirstEnergy had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 10.50%. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that FirstEnergy will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.465 per share. This is an increase from FirstEnergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 7th. FirstEnergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.14%.

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.