Franklin Resources Inc. Has $1.20 Billion Stock Holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,829,446 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 2,070,499 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 4.99% of PPL worth $1,195,484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PPL during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in PPL during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in PPL during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of PPL by 84.5% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PPL Trading Down 3.8 %

Shares of PPL stock traded down $1.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $34.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,653,641 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,743,720. PPL Co. has a 12 month low of $25.93 and a 12 month high of $36.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $25.75 billion, a PE ratio of 28.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $34.48 and a 200 day moving average of $33.39.

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

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were given a $0.2725 dividend. This is a boost from PPL's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. PPL's payout ratio is currently 90.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on PPL shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group upped their price objective on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PPL presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $35.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total value of $52,627.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares in the company, valued at $359,186.40. The trade was a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $47,675.52. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $376,951.32. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,140 shares of company stock valued at $173,005. Company insiders own 0.22% 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.