** Shares of electric utility FirstEnergy FE.N down 4 cents to $39.78 premarket after upsized capital raise
** Akron, Ohio-based firm announces pricing offerings of $1.15 bln 3.625% convertible bonds (CBs) due 2029 and $1 bln 3.875% CBs due 2031
** Initial conversion price for both bonds is $47.78, 20% above stock's last sale
** FE shares on Mon fell for sixth straight session, closing down 2% after co unveiled plans for $1.8 bln bond sale
** It intends to use net proceeds to repurchase all or portion of $1.5 bln outstanding principal of its 4% CBs due 2026, to repay debt and for general purposes
** FirstEnergy has roughly $23 bln market cap, per LSEG data
** Through Mon, FE shares flat in 2025 while the S&P 500 Utilities index .SPLRCU up 5.8%
** 8 of 17 analysts rate FE "strong buy" or "buy", rest rate "hold" with $45 median PT, latest LSEG data reflects
(Lance Tupper is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)
((lance.tupper@tr.com 1-646-279-6380))
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