Baird Financial Group Inc. Buys Shares of 866,244 FuelCell Energy, Inc. $FCEL

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group acquired 866,244 FuelCell Energy shares worth approximately $31.2 million, giving it a 1.08% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 42.78% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: five analysts rate the stock Buy, three Hold and two Sell, resulting in a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $22.14.
• FuelCell Energy reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss of $0.64 per share and revenue of $33 million, below the $38.79 million estimate. Shares opened at $15.59 after falling 5.9%, while the company continues to post negative margins and is expected to remain unprofitable.

Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCEL - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 866,244 shares of the energy company's stock, valued at approximately $31,193,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 1.08% of FuelCell Energy as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in FuelCell Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of FuelCell Energy by 444.4% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,301 shares of the energy company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of FuelCell Energy by 1,316.0% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 7,618 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 7,080 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of FuelCell Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $78,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new position in shares of FuelCell Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $84,000. 42.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Shankar Achanta sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.71, for a total value of $71,775.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,618 shares in the company, valued at $75,162.78. This represents a 48.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 5.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on FCEL shares. Craig Hallum began coverage on shares of FuelCell Energy in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of FuelCell Energy from $6.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and issued a $16.00 target price (up from $9.00) on shares of FuelCell Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of FuelCell Energy in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of FuelCell Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.14.

FuelCell Energy Trading Down 5.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:FCEL opened at $15.59 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average is $20.17 and its 200 day moving average is $16.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.55 and a beta of 2.35. FuelCell Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $5.58 and a 1 year high of $37.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 8.67 and a quick ratio of 7.77.

FuelCell Energy (NASDAQ:FCEL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, September 2nd. The energy company reported ($0.64) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.41) by ($0.23). FuelCell Energy had a negative net margin of 113.60% and a negative return on equity of 16.85%. The firm had revenue of $33.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $38.79 million. On average, research analysts predict that FuelCell Energy, Inc. will post -2.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting FuelCell Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting FuelCell Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Craig-Hallum initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $22 price target, citing FuelCell Energy’s potential opportunity in supplying power to data centers. Craig-Hallum coverage article
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted a $1.296 billion committed backlog, a $2.3 billion awarded-capacity backlog, a carbon-capture demonstration and a manufacturing ramp. These metrics suggest meaningful long-term demand, although conversion into profitable revenue remains uncertain. FuelCell Energy Q3 earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparison with Bloom Energy underscores investor interest in fuel-cell suppliers benefiting from the artificial-intelligence and data-center power buildout, but it does not provide a new company-specific financial catalyst. Bloom Energy versus FuelCell Energy article
• Neutral Sentiment: A report showing zero short interest and zero days to cover appears inconsistent with the company’s trading activity and may offer little reliable insight into current positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter results missed expectations: the loss was wider than forecast, revenue fell 29.4% year over year, and approximately $17 million in Fit Energy-related charges significantly widened the gross loss. The company also reported a large year-over-year gross-loss deterioration, increasing concerns about execution and profitability. Q3 loss and Fit Energy charges article
• Negative Sentiment: Kaplan Fox, Pomerantz and Kirby McInerney announced investigations into potential securities-law violations related to FuelCell Energy’s disclosures, particularly the Fit Energy agreement and associated charges. These announcements can weigh on sentiment, although they do not establish wrongdoing. Kaplan Fox investigation announcement

About FuelCell Energy

FuelCell Energy, Inc NASDAQ: FCEL is a publicly traded company that designs, manufactures and operates turnkey molten carbonate fuel cell power plants. These stationary, on-site energy solutions generate electricity and heat through an electrochemical process that combines natural gas or biogas with oxygen, producing power with lower greenhouse gas emissions than traditional fossil fuel-based generation. The company’s fuel cell technology is engineered for continuous, baseload operation and can be integrated into microgrid architectures and industrial power systems to provide reliable, around-the-clock energy.

The company’s core product suite, marketed under the SureSource brand, encompasses both power generation and integrated carbon capture or hydrogen production capabilities.

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