Barclays PLC Buys 105,562 Shares of TransAlta Co. (NYSE:TAC)

Barclays PLC grew its position in TransAlta Co. (NYSE:TAC - Free Report) TSE: TA by 281.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 143,062 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 105,562 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC's holdings in TransAlta were worth $1,482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of TransAlta by 2.1% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 122,621 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,277,000 after acquiring an additional 2,524 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of TransAlta in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,812,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in shares of TransAlta by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 29,672 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 6,385 shares during the last quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of TransAlta by 69.9% during the third quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP now owns 2,685,955 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $27,840,000 after buying an additional 1,105,191 shares during the period. Finally, Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in TransAlta by 22.8% in the third quarter. Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. now owns 96,983 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,005,000 after buying an additional 18,000 shares during the period. 59.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

TransAlta Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:TAC opened at $13.25 on Monday. TransAlta Co. has a 52-week low of $5.94 and a 52-week high of $14.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.81 and a beta of 0.84. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $12.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.06.

TransAlta Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be given a $0.0423 dividend. This represents a $0.17 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. TransAlta's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on TAC. StockNews.com downgraded shares of TransAlta from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 4th. Cibc World Mkts downgraded TransAlta from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. CIBC cut shares of TransAlta from a "sector outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of TransAlta to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Desjardins reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of TransAlta in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold".

TransAlta Profile

TransAlta Corporation engages in the development, production, and sale of electric energy. It operates through Hydro, Wind and Solar, Gas, Energy Transition, and Energy Marketing segments. The Hydro segment holds interest of approximately 922 megawatts (MW) of owned hydroelectric generating capacity located in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario.