The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 6.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 2% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 21%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 10%. The street (13 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $52.
FirstEnergy FE
Outside both standards
An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.
In plain words · FirstEnergy Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, distribution, and transmission of electricity in the United States.
read at $49.32
FirstEnergy holds its Markup at $49.32.
- PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
- INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
- POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
- OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
- SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
- edge confirmed
- edge broken
- edge forming
Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.
The investor read · the season, not the day
| Phase | Markup |
| Quantitative state | Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 282 days |
| Price | $49.32 |
| Valuation | 26.80 trailing · 16.71 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | FAIL · score 10.0 |
| Beta | 0.45 |
The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth
Our framework reads AVOID — it trades above our $48.64 fair value estimate, narrow competitive moat, 11.60% revenue growth.
Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going
The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street
Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.
Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as roughly fairly valued here, while the Street is more bullish — a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.
| Revenue growth | 11.60% |
| Profit margin | 6.94% |
| Debt to equity | 198.92 |
| Analyst consensus | Buy · 13 covering |
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English
This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:
Used by most halal investing apps ✗ DOES NOT PASS
The one Titan applies ✗ DOES NOT PASS
Why it fails. The problem is its debt ratio. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.
What these two standards are, and how they differ →
- Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
- Debt load Interest-bearing debt is 47.5% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
- Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 1.1% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
- Receivables Money owed to the company is 1.8% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
- Revenue purity Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass
Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.
The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean
Utility keeps lights on but borrows heavily
FirstEnergy keeps the lights on across the Midwest yet runs on borrowed money that trips our ethical screen at the first check. We pass because the shares sit right at fair value with almost no margin of safety and the narrow moat offers little comfort in a tightly regulated business.
Revenue growth looks solid at twelve percent but margins remain thin at seven percent while return on equity sits at just nine. Forward earnings at sixteen and a half times leave no room for the debt burden already flagged as a clear fail.
High leverage leaves the company exposed if rates stay elevated or regulators squeeze allowed returns further. The buy-rated analyst targets ignore that structural weakness.
Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 16.7x priced for continued growth |
| Trailing P/E | 26.8x a premium valuation |
| Revenue growth | 11.6% steady growth |
| Profit margin | 6.9% thin but positive margins |
| Return on equity | 9.5% a modest return on shareholder capital |
| Debt to equity | 1.99 a meaningful debt load worth watching |
| Current ratio | 0.52 below 1 — short-term bills exceed liquid assets |
| Beta | 0.45 barely tracks the market's swings |
| Market cap | $28.5B |
| Employees | 11,186 |
The risks · The things to watch: it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Latest news · what the market is reading on FE
- › Can FirstEnergy's Grid Investments Drive Long-Term Earnings Growth? Zacks · 13d ago
- › FirstEnergy (FE) Could Be 7% Undervalued As Grid Investment Narrative Builds Simply Wall St. · 15d ago
- › 4 Low-Beta Defensive Stocks to Buy as Geopolitical Tensions Escalate Zacks · 16d ago
- › Are Utilities Stocks Lagging Ballard Power Systems (BLDP) This Year? Zacks · 20d ago
- › What to Expect From FirstEnergy's Q2 2026 Earnings Report Barchart · 22d ago
Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference — not our reporting, not advice.
Related securities · others in FE's space worth a look
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are
FE trades on a US exchange. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The trader read · the latest dated commentary
The dated journal · newest first, never edited
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 2% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 21%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 10%. The street (13 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $52.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed
| Date | Insider | Title | Type | Shares | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-01 | SOMERHALDER JOHN W II | Director | 837 | $42,461 | |
| 2026-03-11 | O'NEIL JAMES FRANCIS III | Director | 7,945 | $402,041 | |
| 2026-03-10 | TAYLOR K JON | Officer | 26,800 | $1,365,272 | |
| 2026-03-06 | LISOWSKI JASON | Officer | 4,372 | $222,308 | |
| 2026-03-02 | LISOWSKI JASON | Officer | 7,402 | · | |
| 2026-02-27 | PARK HYUN | Officer | 38,656 | · | |
| 2026-02-27 | TAYLOR K JON | Officer | 66,927 | · | |
| 2026-02-27 | THOMAS TOBY L. | Chief Operating Officer | 24,155 | · | |
| 2026-02-27 | SMITH ALLAN WADE | Officer | 34,213 | · | |
| 2026-02-27 | TIERNEY BRIAN X | Chief Executive Officer | 229,580 | · |
Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.
The political ledger · congressional disclosures
| Date | Politician | Party | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May2026 | John Boozman | Republican | sell | 1K–15K |
| 27 May2026 | John Boozman | Republican | sell | 1K–15K |
| 27 May2026 | Ro Khanna | Democrat | buy | 1K–15K |
| 2026-05-05 | Brian Babin | Republican | Sale | 1K–15K |
| 2026-04-24 | Ro Khanna | Democrat | Purchase | 1K–15K |
What holding actually paid · price plus dividends
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $44.60 | +4.3% | · | $1,043 | +4.3% |
| 2 months | $50.90 | -8.6% | $0.47 | $923 | -7.7% |
| 3 months | $50.30 | -7.5% | $0.47 | $934 | -6.6% |
| 6 months | $43.22 | +7.7% | $0.91 | $1,098 | +9.8% |
| 1 year | $38.54 | +20.7% | $1.80 | $1,254 | +25.4% |
| 2 years | $35.89 | +29.6% | $3.52 | $1,394 | +39.4% |
| 3 years | $34.06 | +36.6% | $5.16 | $1,517 | +51.7% |
| 5 years | $31.61 | +47.2% | $8.28 | $1,734 | +73.4% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.