Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $8.27 Million Stake in FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE - Free Report) by 16.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 186,406 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 26,874 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in FirstEnergy were worth $8,267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 6.4% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 78,297 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,996,000 after buying an additional 4,730 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA boosted its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 16.2% in the second quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA now owns 2,243 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in FirstEnergy by 162.1% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 48,990 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 30,298 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 246.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,026 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management lifted its position in shares of FirstEnergy by 5.0% during the second quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 7,222 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. 89.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FirstEnergy Stock Performance

Shares of FirstEnergy stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $40.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,622,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,900,637. FirstEnergy Corp. has a 1-year low of $35.41 and a 1-year high of $44.97. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $42.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.58. The stock has a market cap of $23.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The utilities provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.05). FirstEnergy had a return on equity of 11.38% and a net margin of 6.64%. The company had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that FirstEnergy Corp. will post 2.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FirstEnergy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 7th were given a $0.425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 7th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.22%. FirstEnergy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 109.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of FirstEnergy in a report on Monday, October 14th. They set a "hold" rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Argus raised FirstEnergy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Barclays increased their price target on FirstEnergy from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of FirstEnergy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of FirstEnergy from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.