TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA) Given Average Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Buy” consensus on TransAlta, with eight buy ratings, one strong-buy rating and one hold rating. The average 12-month price target is C$25.00.
• Insiders have been buying shares, including a 10,000-share purchase by Michael Politeski at C$17.77 per share; insiders purchased 20,450 shares over the past quarter.
• TransAlta reported quarterly EPS of C$0.18 on revenue of C$507 million, but posted a negative net margin of 1.02% and negative return on equity of 1.50%.

Shares of TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA - Get Free Report) NYSE: TAC have been given an average recommendation of "Buy" by the ten analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$25.00.

TA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD set a C$26.00 target price on TransAlta and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Desjardins raised their price objective on shares of TransAlta from C$18.50 to C$19.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a C$24.00 price objective on shares of TransAlta and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. ATB Cormark Capital Markets set a C$28.00 target price on shares of TransAlta and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of TransAlta to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th.

Insider Activity at TransAlta

In other TransAlta news, insider Michael Politeski bought 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of C$17.77 per share, with a total value of C$177,700.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 85,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at C$1,510,450. This represents a 13.33% increase in their position. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 20,450 shares of company stock valued at $381,348. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

TransAlta Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of TSE TA opened at C$16.55 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of C$5.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -53.39, a PEG ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 238.01. TransAlta has a 52-week low of C$15.62 and a 52-week high of C$25.03. The business's 50 day moving average is C$18.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$18.16.

TransAlta (TSE:TA - Get Free Report) NYSE: TAC last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported C$0.18 EPS for the quarter. TransAlta had a negative return on equity of 1.50% and a negative net margin of 1.02%.The business had revenue of C$507.00 million during the quarter.

About TransAlta

TransAlta owns, operates and develops a diverse fleet of electrical power generation assets in Canada, the United States and Australia with a focus on long-term shareholder value. TransAlta provides municipalities, medium and large industries, businesses and utility customers with affordable, energy efficient and reliable power. Today, TransAlta is one of Canada's largest producers of wind power and Alberta's largest producer of thermal generation and hydro-electric power. For over 114 years, TransAlta has been a responsible operator and a proud member of the communities where we operate and where our employees work and live.

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