PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Receives $34.00 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $34.27.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company.

PPL Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:PPL opened at $34.86 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $33.18 and a 200 day moving average of $32.82. PPL has a 52 week low of $25.87 and a 52 week high of $35.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.83.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). PPL had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. On average, research analysts predict that PPL will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. This is a positive change from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.08%.

Insider Activity at PPL

In related news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total transaction of $213,510.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $360,513.60. This represents a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $32,843.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,414 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,520,460.72. The trade was a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,633 shares of company stock valued at $346,657. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of PPL

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PPL. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 195.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PPL during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Company Profile

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.