PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $35.27.

PPL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group increased their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup raised PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th.

PPL Stock Up 0.0 %

PPL stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $34.77. The stock had a trading volume of 5,036,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,465,728. 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 firm has a market cap of $25.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a 50-day moving average of $33.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.20. PPL has a 52-week low of $25.93 and a 52-week high of $35.91.

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PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.09 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that PPL will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.2725 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from PPL's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. PPL's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.08%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 shares of the firm's 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 $376,951.32. This trade represents a 11.23 % 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. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the business'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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 45,414 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,520,460.72. This trade represents a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PPL

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 8,266.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,518,141 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $309,060,000 after buying an additional 9,404,382 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in PPL during the fourth quarter valued at about $228,509,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PPL in the fourth quarter valued at about $147,480,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 12.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,758,947 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,115,824,000 after acquiring an additional 3,731,412 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of PPL by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 27,465,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $891,532,000 after purchasing an additional 3,380,745 shares in the last quarter. 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.