Phraction Management LLC Cuts Stake in FirstEnergy Corporation $FE

Key Points

• Phraction Management LLC cut its stake in FirstEnergy by 43.3% in Q4, selling 21,890 shares and leaving 28,720 shares valued at $1.286 million at quarter-end.
• FirstEnergy raised its quarterly dividend to $0.465 (annualized $1.86) for a ~3.7% yield, although the dividend payout ratio is about 101.14%.
• Insiders have been selling recently — CFO Jon Taylor sold 26,800 shares and total insider sales in the past three months were 39,118 shares — while institutional ownership remains high at 89.41%.

Phraction Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE - Free Report) by 43.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,720 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 21,890 shares during the period. Phraction Management LLC's holdings in FirstEnergy were worth $1,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in FE. Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in FirstEnergy by 29.0% in the third quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. now owns 324,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,885,000 after acquiring an additional 72,964 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 15.3% during the third quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 208,941 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,574,000 after acquiring an additional 27,655 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 18.1% in 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 last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of FirstEnergy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in FirstEnergy by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,992,975 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $137,138,000 after purchasing an additional 894,549 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.41% of the company's stock.

FirstEnergy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:FE opened at $50.10 on Friday. FirstEnergy Corporation has a twelve month low of $39.28 and a twelve month high of $52.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The company has a market cap of $28.98 billion, a PE ratio of 28.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.60. The company's 50 day moving average is $50.30 and its 200 day moving average is $47.51.

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

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 7th will be issued a $0.465 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 7th. This is a positive change from FirstEnergy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. FirstEnergy's dividend payout ratio is currently 101.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on FE shares. Mizuho set a $51.00 target price on shares of FirstEnergy in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of FirstEnergy from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wolfe Research raised FirstEnergy from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded FirstEnergy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at FirstEnergy

In other news, CFO Jon Taylor K. sold 26,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 119,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,089,978.88. The trade was a 18.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director James F. Oneil sold 7,945 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 1,869 shares in the company, valued at $94,571.40. The trade was a 80.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 39,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,989,532. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About FirstEnergy

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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