TransAlta (TSE:TA) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA) (NYSE:TAC) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$10.84 and traded as high as C$14.15. TransAlta shares last traded at C$14.08, with a volume of 536,615 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TA has been the topic of several research analyst reports. National Bankshares raised their price objective on TransAlta from C$14.00 to C$15.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of TransAlta from C$16.00 to C$17.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, CIBC reduced their price objective on shares of TransAlta from C$16.50 to C$15.50 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of C$15.10.

TransAlta Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 219.87, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of C$4.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of C$12.98 and a 200-day moving average price of C$10.84.

TransAlta (TSE:TA) (NYSE:TAC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported C$0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.07 by C$0.11. The company had revenue of C$582.00 million for the quarter. TransAlta had a net margin of 19.50% and a return on equity of 32.01%.

TransAlta Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Sunday, December 1st will be issued a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of ∞. TransAlta’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Senior Officer Kerry Lynn O’reilly sold 48,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$10.99, for a total transaction of C$536,674.67. In related news, Senior Officer Kerry Lynn O’reilly sold 48,833 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$10.99, for a total value of C$536,674.67. Also, Senior Officer Jane Nyla Fedoretz sold 10,000 shares of TransAlta stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$11.45, for a total value of C$114,500.00. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 120,217 shares of company stock valued at $1,397,220. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

TransAlta Company Profile

TransAlta Corporation engages in the development, production, and sale of electric energy. It operates through Hydro, Wind and Solar, Gas, Energy Transition, and Energy Marketing segments. The Hydro segment holds interest of approximately 922 megawatts (MW) of owned hydroelectric generating capacity located in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario.