FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) Reaches New 1-Year High After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $50.44 and last traded at $49.38, with a volume of 6094159 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $50.10.

The utilities provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. FirstEnergy had a net margin of 9.19% and a return on equity of 11.15%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS.

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 7th will be given a dividend of $0.465 per share. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. This is a boost from FirstEnergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 7th. FirstEnergy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.73%.

Key Stories Impacting FirstEnergy

Here are the key news stories impacting FirstEnergy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported strong full‑year 2025 results and raised the outlook — 2025 GAAP $1.77/sh and Core Earnings $2.55/sh (top of revised range); company affirms 2026 core guidance and expects multi‑year core EPS CAGR near the top end of 6–8%, supporting longer‑term growth expectations. PR Newswire: FirstEnergy Announces 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company unveiled a $36 billion capital investment plan through 2030 to expand transmission and grid assets — this supports revenue and rate base growth that could drive multi‑year earnings upside if projects win regulatory approval and are rate‑recovered. Reuters: FirstEnergy announces $36 billion investment plan
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 operating performance was roughly in line: EPS of $0.53 beat Zacks’ $0.52 estimate but matched the consensus $0.53; margins and ROE reported were solid but not dramatically higher year‑over‑year. Zacks: FirstEnergy Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Regional transmission project approval in central Ohio (Transource/FirstEnergy JV) is a constructive execution milestone for grid expansion, but it is one project within a much larger capex program. PR Newswire: Transource & FirstEnergy Project Approval
• Negative Sentiment: The $36B investment plan raises near‑term concerns about funding, cash flow and potential credit pressure; investors may be worried about execution risk, regulatory timing and the need to finance large capex — a likely reason for the stock moving lower despite the earnings/guidance news. Reuters: FirstEnergy announces $36 billion investment plan

Analyst Ratings Changes

FE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on FirstEnergy from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on FirstEnergy from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of FirstEnergy from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of FirstEnergy from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $48.85.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FirstEnergy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FE. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 283,236 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,680,000 after buying an additional 23,559 shares during the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in FirstEnergy during the fourth quarter worth about $3,016,000. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of FirstEnergy in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 795,243 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,603,000 after purchasing an additional 236,448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 263,309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $11,788,000 after purchasing an additional 12,748 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.41% of the company’s stock.

FirstEnergy Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market cap of $28.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day moving average is $46.06 and its 200 day moving average is $45.46.

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.