TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA – Get Rating) (NYSE:TAC) Director John Harry Kousinioris sold 112,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$11.98, for a total transaction of C$1,345,030.54. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 281,266 shares in the company, valued at C$3,369,566.68.
TransAlta Stock Down 4.7 %
TA stock traded down C$0.59 during trading on Thursday, hitting C$11.90. 502,379 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 783,928. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 163.30, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of C$3.21 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average is C$12.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$13.02. TransAlta Co. has a 1 year low of C$10.52 and a 1 year high of C$15.28.
TransAlta Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 1st will be issued a $0.055 dividend. This represents a $0.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 28th. TransAlta’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.61%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have recently issued reports on TA shares. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on TransAlta from C$17.00 to C$17.50 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. CSFB lifted their price objective on TransAlta from C$15.00 to C$17.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 9th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on TransAlta from C$15.50 to C$16.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 9th. CIBC dropped their price target on shares of TransAlta from C$17.50 to C$16.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 18th. Finally, National Bankshares boosted their price target on TransAlta from C$13.00 to C$14.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, TransAlta has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of C$16.56.
About TransAlta
TransAlta Corporation owns, operates, and develops a diverse fleet of electrical power generation assets in Canada, the United States, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Hydro, Wind and Solar, Gas, and Energy Transition. owns and operates hydro, wind and solar, natural gas-fired, and coal-fired facilities.