FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) Upgraded at Barclays

Key Points

• Barclays has upgraded FirstEnergy from an "equal weight" to an "overweight" rating, raising its price target from $43.00 to $49.00, which suggests a potential upside of 12.01% from the company's previous close.
• FirstEnergy's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $0.52, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.50, despite a revenue of $3.40 billion, which was slightly below the expected $3.45 billion.
• Seven research analysts currently rate FirstEnergy stock as a Buy, while eight have issued a Hold rating, indicating a general positive outlook from the investment community.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Barclays from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a $49.00 price target on the utilities provider's stock, up from their previous price target of $43.00. Barclays's price objective indicates a potential upside of 12.01% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on FE. Mizuho lifted their price target on FirstEnergy from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on FirstEnergy from $41.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 28th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $46.00 price objective (down from $47.00) on shares of FirstEnergy in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on FirstEnergy from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, UBS Group set a $44.00 target price on FirstEnergy and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, FirstEnergy presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $46.31.

FirstEnergy Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of FE stock opened at $43.7450 on Monday. FirstEnergy has a 1-year low of $37.58 and a 1-year high of $44.97. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $41.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 0.61 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $25.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.48.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.02. FirstEnergy had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 9.31%.The company had revenue of $3.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.45 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.400-2.600 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that FirstEnergy will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of FirstEnergy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy during the second quarter worth $25,000. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy during the second quarter worth $26,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy during the second quarter worth $26,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy during the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 186.4% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 676 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.41% of the company's stock.

About FirstEnergy

FirstEnergy Corp., through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, and distributes electricity in the United States. It operates through Regulated Distribution and Regulated Transmission segments. The company owns and operates coal-fired, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, and solar power generating facilities.

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