Analysts Set PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Price Target at $34.00

Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $34.00.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their target price 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.

Insider Buying and Selling at PPL

In other PPL news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the firm's 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 directly owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at $360,513.60. This trade represents a 37.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 transaction of $32,843.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 45,414 shares in the company, valued at $1,520,460.72. This represents a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 19,794 shares of company stock valued at $661,338. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of PPL

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of PPL by 1.7% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 17,696 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $585,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 78,296 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,480,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC raised its stake in shares of PPL by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 37,622 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in PPL by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 36,986 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,201,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PPL Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of PPL stock traded up $0.59 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $33.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,523,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,050,040. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $32.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.17. 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 has a 12-month low of $25.35 and a 12-month high of $35.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.59 billion, a PE ratio of 29.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.83.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 9.95%. PPL's revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that PPL will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a dividend of $0.2575 per share. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. PPL's payout ratio is currently 91.96%.

About PPL

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.