Feb 26 (Reuters) - FirstEnergy ( FE ) forecast downbeat

earnings for the current year after the utility firm missed Wall

Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday, hurt by

mild weather.

Shares of the company were down 3.2%, at $41.69, in extended

trading.

FirstEnergy ( FE ) said the heating degree days, a measure of

energy demand for space heating, were 10% below normal, which

negatively impacted results in the October-December quarter from

a year earlier.

The utility now expects current-year profit between $2.4 and

$2.6 per share, below Wall Street estimates of $2.89 per share.

The capital expenditure for the year is expected to be $5

billion, about 11% higher than last year.

FirstEnergy ( FE ), through its three segments - distribution,

integrated, and stand-alone transmission - serves about 6

million customers in the areas of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New

Jersey, West Virginia and Maryland.

The Akron, Ohio-based company, however, reported a net

income of $261 million in the quarter, up 49% from a year

earlier on the back of higher electricity rates.

The company reported an adjusted profit of 61 cents per

share for the quarter ended December 31, missing Wall Street

estimates of 70 cents per share, according to data compiled by

LSEG.