Zacks Research Reduces Earnings Estimates for FirstEnergy

FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research dropped their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of FirstEnergy in a research note issued on Wednesday, May 14th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $2.59 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $2.68. The consensus estimate for FirstEnergy’s current full-year earnings is $2.66 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for FirstEnergy’s Q4 2025 earnings at $0.49 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.60 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.05 EPS.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.68 billion. FirstEnergy had a net margin of 6.64% and a return on equity of 11.38%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on FE. UBS Group lifted their target price on FirstEnergy from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Mizuho set a $43.00 target price on FirstEnergy in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Bank of America raised FirstEnergy from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $42.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on FirstEnergy from $41.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of FirstEnergy from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, FirstEnergy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.00.

FirstEnergy Stock Performance

NYSE:FE opened at $42.67 on Friday. FirstEnergy has a fifty-two week low of $37.58 and a fifty-two week high of $44.97. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $40.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. The company has a market cap of $24.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.42.

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be given a dividend of $0.445 per share. This is a boost from FirstEnergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a $1.78 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.17%. FirstEnergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.68%.

Insider Activity at FirstEnergy

In related news, CFO Jon Taylor K. sold 12,000 shares of FirstEnergy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.03, for a total value of $516,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 99,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,299,514.57. The trade was a 10.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On FirstEnergy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FE. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 69.3% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 623 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy in the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 226.9% in the first quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.