FirstEnergy Corporation $FE Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in FirstEnergy by 4.4% in Q4, selling 56,969 shares and ending the period with 1,244,696 shares (~0.22% ownership) worth about $55.7 million.
• Insiders have been net sellers: CFO Jon Taylor sold 26,800 shares and Director James F. Oneil sold 7,945, with 39,118 insider shares sold in the last 90 days totaling roughly $1.99 million; corporate insiders now own 0.14% of the company.
• FirstEnergy raised its quarterly dividend to $0.465 (annualized $1.86) for a ~3.7% yield, while the dividend payout ratio is elevated at 105.68%.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE - Free Report) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,244,696 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 56,969 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.22% of FirstEnergy worth $55,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its position in FirstEnergy by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 324,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,885,000 after purchasing an additional 72,964 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in FirstEnergy by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 202,162 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,263,000 after purchasing an additional 30,955 shares during the period. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. boosted its position in FirstEnergy by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 208,941 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,574,000 after purchasing an additional 27,655 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in FirstEnergy by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,992,975 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $137,138,000 after purchasing an additional 894,549 shares during the period. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in FirstEnergy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.41% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at FirstEnergy

In other news, CFO Jon Taylor K. sold 26,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.94, for a total value of $1,365,192.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 119,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,089,978.88. The trade was a 18.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James F. Oneil sold 7,945 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.60, for a total value of $402,017.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,869 shares in the company, valued at $94,571.40. This represents a 80.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 39,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,989,532. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

FirstEnergy Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of FE stock opened at $50.54 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.57. FirstEnergy Corporation has a 1 year low of $39.28 and a 1 year high of $52.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $50.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.23 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.60.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.01. FirstEnergy had a return on equity of 10.50% and a net margin of 6.76%.The company had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that FirstEnergy Corporation will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 7th will be paid a $0.465 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 7th. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. This is a boost from FirstEnergy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. FirstEnergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded FirstEnergy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group reduced their price target on FirstEnergy from $49.00 to $46.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on FirstEnergy from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Mizuho set a $51.00 price target on FirstEnergy in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.15.

FirstEnergy Profile

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.

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