FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Wolfe Research

Key Points

• Wolfe Research downgraded FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) from a "strong‑buy" to a "hold"; the stock's consensus rating is Hold with an average target price of about $51.92 and analysts split (6 Buys, 7 Holds).
• FirstEnergy's Q1 results showed EPS of $0.72 (in line with estimates) and revenue of $4.01 billion (above the $3.80 billion consensus), and the company set FY2026 guidance of 2.620–2.820 EPS (sell‑side expects 2.73).
• Insider selling was notable—39,118 shares (~$1.99M) were sold in the last three months, leaving insiders with just 0.14% ownership, while institutional investors own about 89.41% of the stock.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wolfe Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on FirstEnergy from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings raised FirstEnergy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, New Street Research set a $52.00 target price on FirstEnergy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, FirstEnergy has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.92.

FirstEnergy Trading Down 0.4%

FirstEnergy stock opened at $46.73 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. FirstEnergy has a 52 week low of $39.28 and a 52 week high of $52.34. The company has a market capitalization of $27.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $50.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.69.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jason Lisowski sold 1,373 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.84, for a total value of $69,803.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director James F. Oneil sold 7,945 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $94,571.40. This trade represents a 80.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 39,118 shares of company stock worth $1,989,532 over the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of FirstEnergy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in FE. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy during the first quarter worth approximately $289,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 7.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 11,213 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 43,334 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,752,000 after purchasing an additional 12,531 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 6.8% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,178 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 1,340 shares in the last quarter. 89.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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