TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA) (NYSE:TAC) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$24.13.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on TA. National Bank Financial increased their price objective on shares of TransAlta from C$18.00 to C$22.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Securities boosted their target price 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. ATB Cormark Capital Markets upped their price target on TransAlta from C$26.00 to C$27.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Desjardins reduced their price objective on TransAlta from C$19.00 to C$18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their price objective on TransAlta from C$25.00 to C$26.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 17th.

Insider Activity

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

TransAlta Stock Down 1.7%

TransAlta stock opened at C$17.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of C$5.08 billion, a PE ratio of -26.73, a PEG ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 0.49. TransAlta has a 12-month low of C$11.16 and a 12-month high of C$25.03. The firm’s fifty day moving average is C$17.75 and its 200 day moving average is C$19.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 320.51.

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

TransAlta Company Profile

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.