By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL – Free Report) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 450,249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,656 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned 0.06% of PPL worth $14,642,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PPL. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 195.5% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of PPL in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of PPL in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of PPL in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling
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 value of $213,510.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at $360,513.60. This represents a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were 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 owns 12,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $427,107.90. This represents a 42.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,794 shares of company stock valued at $661,338 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.
PPL Stock Down 1.9 %
PPL stock opened at $33.76 on Monday. 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 fifty-two week low of $25.87 and a fifty-two week high of $35.15. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $32.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.59. The stock has a market cap of $24.91 billion, a PE ratio of 30.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83.
PPL (NYSE:PPL – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). PPL had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.72 EPS for the current year.
PPL Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.08%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
PPL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PPL has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.00.
Read Our Latest Analysis on PPL
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.
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