Brokerages Set TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA) Target Price at C$24.25

TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA) (NYSE:TAC) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is C$24.44.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on TA shares. TD dropped their price target on shares of TransAlta from C$27.00 to C$26.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. National Bank Financial raised shares of TransAlta from a “hold” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a C$22.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of TransAlta from C$27.00 to C$22.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. ATB Cormark Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of TransAlta from C$27.00 to C$28.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Desjardins dropped their price target on shares of 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.

Insider Buying and Selling at TransAlta

In related news, insider Christopher Douglas Fralick sold 36,453 shares of TransAlta stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$17.90, for a total transaction of C$652,508.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 46,939 shares of the company’s stock, valued at C$840,208.10. This trade represents a 43.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Also, insider Jane Nyla Fedoretz sold 10,000 shares of TransAlta stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$17.45, for a total transaction of C$174,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 103,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at C$1,813,979.85. This represents a 8.78% decrease in their position. Insiders have sold 70,953 shares of company stock valued at $1,262,409 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

TransAlta Price Performance

TA stock opened at C$17.49 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of C$17.76 and a 200-day moving average price of C$18.77. The company has a market capitalization of C$5.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -23.32, a PEG ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 0.54. TransAlta has a 52-week low of C$11.82 and a 52-week high of C$25.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 317.20, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.76.

TransAlta (TSE:TA) (NYSE:TAC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported C$0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$560.00 million during the quarter. TransAlta had a negative net margin of 7.73% and a negative return on equity of 11.56%.

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.