FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $46.27.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on FE shares. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of FirstEnergy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of FirstEnergy from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of FirstEnergy from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of FirstEnergy from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of FirstEnergy from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th.

FirstEnergy Stock Up 0.3 %

FE opened at $39.82 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The company’s 50-day moving average is $40.18 and its 200 day moving average is $41.83. FirstEnergy has a fifty-two week low of $35.41 and a fifty-two week high of $44.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.69, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.52.

FirstEnergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.27%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. FirstEnergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 109.68%.

Institutional Trading of FirstEnergy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in FirstEnergy by 4,571.4% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 654 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co increased its holdings in FirstEnergy by 293.0% during the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 786 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 586 shares during the period. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in FirstEnergy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 89.41% of the company’s stock.

FirstEnergy Company Profile

FirstEnergy Corp., through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, and distributes electricity in the United States. It operates through Regulated Distribution and Regulated Transmission segments. The company owns and operates coal-fired, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, and solar power generating facilities.