FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Shares of FirstEnergy carry an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 14 brokerages (8 buys, 6 holds) with a one‑year average price target of about $49.31, though several firms have recently trimmed targets.
• FirstEnergy raised its quarterly dividend to $0.465 (annualized $1.86) for a yield near 3.6%, but the payout ratio is high at roughly 101%, suggesting dividends exceed current earnings.
• The company slightly beat quarterly EPS ($0.53 vs. $0.52) and issued FY2026 guidance of $2.62–$2.82, which is broadly in line with analyst expectations (~$2.66).

Shares of FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $49.3077.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FE. UBS Group lowered their price objective 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 decreased their target price on shares of FirstEnergy from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on FirstEnergy from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstEnergy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,381 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its stake in FirstEnergy by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 4,677 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. SageView Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in FirstEnergy by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 10,253 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $425,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in FirstEnergy by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,181 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in FirstEnergy by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 23,225 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,064,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. 89.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FirstEnergy Price Performance

FE stock opened at $50.98 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $47.74 and a 200-day moving average of $46.16. The company has a market cap of $29.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.96, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.61. FirstEnergy has a 12-month low of $37.58 and a 12-month high of $51.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.01. FirstEnergy had a net margin of 6.76% and a return on equity of 10.50%. 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 prior year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that FirstEnergy will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 7th will be issued a $0.465 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 3.6%. FirstEnergy's payout ratio is 101.14%.

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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