B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Purchases New Stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 15,894 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $526,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PPL in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in PPL in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in PPL during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new position in PPL during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PPL shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on PPL from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of PPL in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $35.50.

PPL Price Performance

Shares of PPL stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $34.40. 5,393,711 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,903,818. PPL Co. has a fifty-two week low of $25.35 and a fifty-two week high of $35.00. The firm has a market cap of $25.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $32.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.68.

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

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.2575 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. PPL's payout ratio is currently 91.97%.

PPL 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.