FY2026 EPS Estimates for FirstEnergy Increased by Scotiabank

FirstEnergy Corporation (NYSE:FE) – Equities research analysts at Scotiabank lifted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for FirstEnergy in a research note issued on Thursday, February 19th. Scotiabank analyst A. Weisel now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings of $2.74 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $2.70. Scotiabank currently has a “Outperform” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for FirstEnergy’s current full-year earnings is $2.66 per share. Scotiabank also issued estimates for FirstEnergy’s FY2027 earnings at $2.96 EPS.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. FirstEnergy had a return on equity of 10.50% and a net margin of 6.76%.During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. FirstEnergy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.620-2.820 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of FirstEnergy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research upgraded 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on FirstEnergy from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays dropped their price objective on FirstEnergy from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on FirstEnergy from $49.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, FirstEnergy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.31.

FirstEnergy Price Performance

FE opened at $50.20 on Friday. FirstEnergy has a twelve month low of $37.58 and a twelve month high of $50.44. The firm has a market cap of $29.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.52, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.58.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew 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 last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC increased its position in FirstEnergy by 2.3% in the second 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 during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in FirstEnergy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,181 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in FirstEnergy by 1.0% in the third 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.465 per share. This represents a $1.86 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. 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 101.14%.

Key Stories Impacting FirstEnergy

Here are the key news stories impacting FirstEnergy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates (FY2026: from $2.70 to $2.74; FY2027: from $2.90 to $2.96) and bumped its price target to $56 with an “Outperform” rating, signaling analyst confidence in FirstEnergy’s earnings trajectory and implying upside versus the current price. The Fly
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 2025 results and the earnings call reinforced the upbeat view: revenue beat and EPS slightly topped consensus; management reiterated an FY2026 EPS range (previously disclosed) that supports upward analyst revisions. This helps explain why analysts are raising estimates and the stock is moving up. Earnings Call Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Operationally positive: a PR announces a new transmission substation and line to improve reliability for 6,000+ customers in Berks County — a visible example of grid investment that supports regulated-utility earnings growth and rate-base expansion. PR Newswire
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and coverage are circulating (transcripts on MSN/Yahoo), providing detail for investors to parse one-off items, regulatory commentary and capex plans; useful but informational rather than a discrete catalyst. MSN Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Company guidance context: management has set FY2026 EPS guidance in a ~2.62–2.82 range and consensus sits near $2.66; analyst raises suggest the market is repricing future years more than current year. (No external link)
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/political risk: coverage highlights rising risk that PJM capacity-auction dynamics (price collars, elevated clearing prices) could increase customer bills and complicate cost recovery for grid investments — a potential headwind for rate cases and near-term political scrutiny. TipRanks

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.