FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE) Shares Bought by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE - Free Report) by 34.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,160 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,829 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in FirstEnergy were worth $2,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new position in FirstEnergy in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in FirstEnergy by 4,571.4% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 654 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 640 shares during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of FirstEnergy in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 59.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 861 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in FirstEnergy by 48.4% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 997 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.41% of the company's stock.

FirstEnergy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FE traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $40.23. The stock had a trading volume of 5,807,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,602,333. The firm has a market cap of $23.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.95, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.52. FirstEnergy Corp. has a fifty-two week low of $35.41 and a fifty-two week high of $44.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.10 and a 200-day moving average of $41.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58.

FirstEnergy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.425 per share. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. FirstEnergy's dividend payout ratio is currently 109.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on FE shares. Scotiabank upgraded shares of FirstEnergy from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $45.00 to $50.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on FirstEnergy from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of FirstEnergy from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Monday, October 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $46.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded shares of FirstEnergy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $46.27.

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.