Fact based stock research
FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE)

US3379321074

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

FirstEnergy stock research in summary

firstenergycorp.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 17 (worse than 83% compared with investment alternatives), FirstEnergy (Electric Utilities, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of FirstEnergy are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 79 (better than 79% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 31), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 7), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 17, is a sell recommendation based on FirstEnergy's financial characteristics. As the company FirstEnergy's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 79) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 31) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 7), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 79% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	79
Growth Rank	31
Safety Rank	7
Combined Rank	17

Country	USA
Industry	Electric Utilities
Index	Low Emissions, Energy Efficient, Human Rights, Low Waste, S&P 500
Size class	X-Large

14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: FirstEnergy

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	21	61	71	79
GROWTH
GROWTH	58	93	59	31
SAFETY
SAFETY	3	3	1	7
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	75	17	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	65	9	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better FirstEnergy is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	21	61	71	79
GROWTH
GROWTH	58	93	59	31
SAFETY
SAFETY	3	3	1	7
COMBINED
COMBINED	15	61	31	17

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of FirstEnergy the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 79 (better than 79% compared with alternatives) for 2024, FirstEnergy shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for FirstEnergy. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 82, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 82% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning FirstEnergy's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 85% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 69 (dividends are expected to be higher than 69% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 52% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for FirstEnergy to 48. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 79, is a buy recommendation based on FirstEnergy's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner in assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the three good value ranks for Sales, Profits, and Dividends are reliable indicators for the stock price value. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	45	84	72	82
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	39	79	80	85
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	9	15	36	48
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	77	57	65	69
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	21	61	71	79

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of FirstEnergy; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 31 (better than 31% compared with alternatives), FirstEnergy shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below-average for FirstEnergy. While Sales Growth ranks at 60, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 60% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 32, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 68% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 46. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 41 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 59% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 31, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. If revenues are expected to increase, but all other growth indicators are negative, the company may be investing in future growth through means not visible in the balance sheet and thus not reflected in capital growth. The fact that Stock Returns have been below market doesn't mean that much, as it may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior in the past, which has been corrected to a more reasonable level recently. If that were the case, a positive Value Rank would be a reason to invest because the company is still expected to grow, while stock prices are now at a more reasonable level. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance isn't stellar here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	12	39	75	60
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	5	61	51	32
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	77	63	46
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	68	97	45	41
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	58	93	59	31

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of FirstEnergy.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 7 (better than 7% compared with alternatives), the company FirstEnergy has much riskier financing practices than comparable other companies, which means that their overall debt burden is significantly above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of FirstEnergy is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with all three metrics below average for FirstEnergy. Liquidity is at 27, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 73% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 8, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 92% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 17 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 83% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 7 (worse than 93% compared with alternatives), FirstEnergy has a financing structure that is significantly riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of FirstEnergy because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	9	6	10	8
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	12	5	17	17
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	18	17	19	27
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	3	3	1	7

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of FirstEnergy and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	53	46	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	44	69	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	93	23	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	44	18	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	75	17	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for FirstEnergy.
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