FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.01 EPS

FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) posted its earnings results on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $0.53 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. FirstEnergy had a return on equity of 10.47% and a net margin of 6.76%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.67 earnings per share. FirstEnergy updated its FY 2026 guidance to 2.620-2.820 EPS.

FirstEnergy Price Performance

Shares of FE opened at $49.00 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.64. FirstEnergy has a 1-year low of $37.58 and a 1-year high of $50.44. The stock has a market cap of $28.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $46.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.49.

FirstEnergy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 7th will be given a $0.465 dividend. This represents a $1.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. This is a boost from FirstEnergy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 7th. FirstEnergy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.73%.

Trending Headlines about FirstEnergy

Here are the key news stories impacting FirstEnergy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped consensus and management affirmed 2026 core EPS guidance while reporting full‑year 2025 results at the top of its revised range — a sign of execution that investors can point to for expected earnings growth. FirstEnergy Announces 2025 Financial Results, Affirms 2026 Guidance and Provides Long-Term Financial Outlook Focused on Delivering Value to Customers, Communities and Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Management unveiled a $36 billion capital investment plan (2026–2030) targeting grid upgrades — this supports long‑term regulated earnings growth and underpins the company’s multi‑year EPS outlook. FirstEnergy announces $36 billion investment plan after posting higher annual profit
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational updates include completion of a new Potomac Edison substation that improves local reliability for ~2,400 customers — positive for service quality but limited near‑term earnings impact. New Potomac Edison Substation Delivers More Reliable Power for Berkeley County Customers
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/operational processes continuing: FirstEnergy’s Ohio utilities are running a PIPP RFP auction for low‑income service procurement — routine but part of ongoing regulatory engagement. FirstEnergy Ohio Utilities’ PIPP RFP Auction: Information Session for Prospective Bidders on Wednesday, February 18, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: New regulatory/political risk flagged: analysts warn that elevated PJM capacity auction prices could lead to higher customer bills and make it harder for FirstEnergy to secure timely cost recovery for grid investments — a key short‑term overhang for the stock. FirstEnergy Faces Rising Political Risk as PJM Capacity Auctions Threaten Higher Customer Bills and Grid Investment Recovery
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying financials show some caution: Q4 EPS fell year‑over‑year (driven partly by regulatory items), and the firm’s leverage (debt/equity ~1.8) and large capex program increase execution and regulatory risk that could pressure near‑term multiples. FirstEnergy Q4 earnings and materials

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded FirstEnergy from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of FirstEnergy from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of FirstEnergy in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on FirstEnergy from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on FirstEnergy from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, FirstEnergy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $48.85.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BROOKFIELD Corp ON acquired a new stake in shares of FirstEnergy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $110,332,000. Boston Partners increased its stake in FirstEnergy by 13.5% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 18,344,403 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $841,161,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,400 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,506,251 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $246,515,000 after buying an additional 1,977,504 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of FirstEnergy by 128.5% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,275,409 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $150,079,000 after buying an additional 1,841,946 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of FirstEnergy by 5,885.7% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,251,001 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $57,321,000 after buying an additional 1,230,101 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.41% of the company’s stock.

About FirstEnergy

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.