TransAlta (TSE:TA) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA) (NYSE:TAC) shares passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of C$18.09 and traded as high as C$20.51. TransAlta shares last traded at C$20.15, with a volume of 1,076,771 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Scotia set a C$27.00 price objective on shares of TransAlta and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. ATB Cormark Capital Markets set a C$28.00 target price on TransAlta and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. TD set a C$26.00 price target on TransAlta and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Scotiabank upgraded TransAlta to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a C$24.00 price objective on TransAlta and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, TransAlta presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of C$25.00.

TransAlta Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is C$18.75 and its 200 day moving average price is C$18.09. The company has a market capitalization of C$6.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.87, a PEG ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 317.20.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Michael Politeski purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of C$19.58 per share, for a total transaction of C$195,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 75,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$1,468,500. This trade represents a 15.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. Also, insider Jane Nyla Fedoretz sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$18.25, for a total value of C$182,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 49,906 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately C$910,784.50. This trade represents a 16.69% decrease in their position. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 30,450 shares of company stock valued at $557,548 and have sold 25,000 shares valued at $445,000. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

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.