Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $38.06 Million Holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 7.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,179,304 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 77,071 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.16% of PPL worth $38,056,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PPL. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in PPL by 43.1% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 36,788 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,217,000 after buying an additional 11,089 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of PPL by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 21,931 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $725,000 after acquiring an additional 1,052 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in PPL by 109.3% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 121,046 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,004,000 after acquiring an additional 63,218 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in PPL by 5.6% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 162,050 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,361,000 after purchasing an additional 8,534 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in PPL by 3.0% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 128,853 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,262,000 after purchasing an additional 3,700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

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PPL Stock Up 1.0 %

PPL traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $36.50. 1,133,830 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,930,689. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. PPL Co. has a 1-year low of $25.93 and a 1-year high of $36.64. The stock's 50-day moving average is $34.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.37. The stock has a market cap of $26.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.17, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76.

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

PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.2725 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from PPL's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. PPL's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.08%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total transaction of $39,857.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 37,167 shares in the company, valued at $1,292,668.26. The trade was a 2.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $32,843.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,414 shares in the company, valued at $1,520,460.72. The trade was a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,140 shares of company stock valued at $173,005 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on PPL shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup raised PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays boosted their price objective on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, PPL presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $35.27.

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.