Grandview Asset Management LLC Buys 4,279 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Grandview Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 164,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,279 shares during the quarter. PPL comprises about 2.0% of Grandview Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Grandview Asset Management LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $5,353,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PPL. Cooper Financial Group grew its holdings in PPL by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 16,614 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $539,000 after buying an additional 1,943 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co grew its stake in shares of PPL by 576.0% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 2,954 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 2,517 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of PPL by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 160,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,194,000 after purchasing an additional 9,722 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 67,203 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,223,000 after purchasing an additional 6,454 shares during the period. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank raised its stake in shares of PPL by 38.5% during the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 40,812 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,325,000 after purchasing an additional 11,343 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total transaction of $213,510.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at $360,513.60. The trade was a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total transaction of $314,680.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,434 shares in the company, valued at $427,107.90. This trade represents a 42.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

PPL Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE PPL opened at $31.68 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. PPL Co. has a 12 month low of $25.35 and a 12 month high of $35.15. The company has a market cap of $23.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.75.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42. PPL had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.72 EPS for the current year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.09.

About PPL

PPL Corporation, an energy company, focuses on providing electricity and natural gas to approximately 3.6 million customers in the United States. It operates through three segments: Kentucky Regulated, Pennsylvania Regulated, and Rhode Island Regulated. The company delivers electricity to customers in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Rhode Island; delivers natural gas to customers in Kentucky and Rhode Island; and generates electricity from power plants in Kentucky.