KeyCorp Issues Pessimistic Estimate for FirstEnergy Earnings

Key Points

• KeyCorp cut its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for FirstEnergy to $0.91 from $0.98, while forecasting $0.61 for Q4 2026, $2.92 for FY2027 and $3.55 for FY2030.
• FirstEnergy’s latest quarterly results met expectations at $0.50 EPS, while revenue of $3.68 billion exceeded the $3.51 billion consensus estimate.
• Analyst sentiment remains moderately bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $51.27 versus the stock’s $45.24 opening price; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.465 per share, yielding about 4.1%.

FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE - Free Report) - Research analysts at KeyCorp lowered their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for FirstEnergy in a report released on Monday, October 12th. KeyCorp analyst S. Karp now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $0.91 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.98. The consensus estimate for FirstEnergy's current full-year earnings is $2.74 per share. KeyCorp also issued estimates for FirstEnergy's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.61 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.92 EPS and FY2030 earnings at $3.55 EPS.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50. FirstEnergy had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 10.51%. The firm had revenue of $3.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on FE. New Street Research set a $47.00 price objective on FirstEnergy in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded FirstEnergy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, September 19th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Monday, September 14th. Mizuho set a $47.00 price target on FirstEnergy in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on FirstEnergy from $54.00 to $49.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, FirstEnergy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $51.27.

FirstEnergy Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of FE opened at $45.24 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.18 billion, a PE ratio of 17.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. The company's fifty day moving average is $45.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.16. FirstEnergy has a fifty-two week low of $42.67 and a fifty-two week high of $52.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88.

FirstEnergy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a dividend of $0.4650 per share. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. FirstEnergy's payout ratio is 98.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstEnergy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of FirstEnergy in the 3rd quarter valued at $231,000. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC purchased a new position in FirstEnergy in the third quarter valued at about $359,000. GK Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of FirstEnergy during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 17.7% during the third quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 9,441 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $423,000 after purchasing an additional 1,423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 9.4% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 18,430 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 1,579 shares in the last quarter. 89.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About FirstEnergy

FirstEnergy Corp. is an electric utility holding company focused primarily on regulated electricity transmission and distribution. Through its operating companies, the company delivers electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers and maintains the infrastructure needed to support reliable service.

FirstEnergy's utility subsidiaries include Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison in Ohio; Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power and West Penn Power in Pennsylvania; Jersey Central Power & Light in New Jersey; and Mon Power and Potomac Edison in West Virginia and Maryland.

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