TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA) (NYSE:TAC) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$24.13.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on TA shares. National Bank Financial raised their target price on TransAlta from C$18.00 to C$22.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Desjardins decreased their price target on TransAlta from C$19.00 to C$18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Securities increased their price target on TransAlta from C$26.00 to C$27.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on TransAlta from C$27.00 to C$22.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, ATB Cormark Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of TransAlta from C$26.00 to C$27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling at TransAlta

In related news, insider Jane Nyla Fedoretz sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$17.46, for a total transaction of C$87,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 113,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at C$1,989,619.38. This trade represents a 4.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

TransAlta Trading Down 1.7%

TA opened at C$17.11 on Friday. TransAlta has a fifty-two week low of C$11.16 and a fifty-two week high of C$25.03. The firm has a market capitalization of C$5.08 billion, a PE ratio of -26.73, a P/E/G ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 320.51, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is C$17.75 and its 200 day moving average is C$19.14.

TransAlta (TSE:TA) (NYSE:TAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The company reported C($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$712.00 million for the quarter. TransAlta had a negative net margin of 5.74% and a negative return on equity of 8.84%.

About TransAlta

TransAlta owns, operates and develops a diverse fleet of electrical power generation assets in Canada, the United States and Australia with a focus on long-term shareholder value. TransAlta provides municipalities, medium and large industries, businesses and utility customers with affordable, energy efficient and reliable power. Today, TransAlta is one of Canada’s largest producers of wind power and Alberta’s largest producer of thermal generation and hydro-electric power. For over 114 years, TransAlta has been a responsible operator and a proud member of the communities where we operate and where our employees work and live.