Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Buys 43,229 Shares of FirstEnergy Corporation $FE

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management raised its stake in FirstEnergy by 20.4%, buying 43,229 shares to hold 254,775 shares valued at about $11.41 million at the end of the quarter.
• Dividend increase: FirstEnergy raised its quarterly dividend to $0.465 (annualized $1.86) for a ~4.0% yield, with an ex‑dividend date of May 7 and payment on June 1; the payout ratio is high at 96.74%.
• FirstEnergy reported Q1 EPS of $0.72 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $4.01 billion (+11.6% y/y), set FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.620–2.820 (sell‑side consensus 2.73), and holds a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $51.92.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE - Free Report) by 20.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 254,775 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 43,229 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA's holdings in FirstEnergy were worth $11,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FE. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of FirstEnergy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of FirstEnergy in the first quarter valued at approximately $289,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 7.0% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,213 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 43,334 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,752,000 after purchasing an additional 12,531 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 6.8% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,178 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $856,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.41% of the company's stock.

FirstEnergy Stock Performance

Shares of FE opened at $46.91 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The company has a market capitalization of $27.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $50.33 and a 200 day moving average of $47.69. FirstEnergy Corporation has a 12 month low of $39.28 and a 12 month high of $52.34.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72. The company had revenue of $4.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.80 billion. FirstEnergy had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 6.86%.FirstEnergy's revenue was up 11.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.67 earnings per share. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that FirstEnergy Corporation will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current year.

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 7th will be given a $0.465 dividend. This is an increase from FirstEnergy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 7th. FirstEnergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FirstEnergy news, CFO Jon Taylor K. sold 26,800 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 119,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,089,978.88. This trade represents a 18.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Jason Lisowski sold 1,373 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total value of $69,803.32. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 39,118 shares of company stock valued at $1,989,532 over the last ninety days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on FE shares. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on FirstEnergy from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded FirstEnergy from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on FirstEnergy in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $51.92.

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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