Hsbc Holdings PLC Decreases Stake in FirstEnergy Corporation $FE

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings PLC cut its FirstEnergy stake by 19.4% in the first quarter, selling 207,231 shares and ending with 858,499 shares valued at about $43.5 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high at 89.41%, with several other funds making notable moves, including new positions from Eurizon Capital and Brookfield and larger stakes from Boston Partners and Victory Capital.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on FE, with seven Buy ratings and six Hold ratings, a consensus “Moderate Buy,” and an average price target of $52.92 versus the stock’s recent trading level around $48.57.

Hsbc Holdings PLC lessened its stake in shares of FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE - Free Report) by 19.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 858,499 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 207,231 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.15% of FirstEnergy worth $43,456,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in FirstEnergy during the 4th quarter valued at $123,018,000. BROOKFIELD Corp ON purchased a new position in shares of FirstEnergy in the fourth quarter valued at about $110,332,000. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 13.5% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 18,344,403 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $841,161,000 after acquiring an additional 2,185,400 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,506,251 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $246,515,000 after acquiring an additional 1,977,504 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 11,305.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,974,989 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $81,699,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957,673 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of FirstEnergy from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays boosted their price target on FirstEnergy from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of FirstEnergy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group increased their price objective on FirstEnergy from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of FirstEnergy in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.92.

FirstEnergy Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:FE opened at $48.57 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $46.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.00. The stock has a market cap of $28.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. FirstEnergy Corporation has a 12 month low of $40.70 and a 12 month high of $52.34.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.72. FirstEnergy had a net margin of 6.86% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. FirstEnergy's quarterly revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS. Equities analysts predict that FirstEnergy Corporation will post 2.74 EPS for the current year.

FirstEnergy Company 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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