PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $35.70.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on PPL shares. Barclays lifted their price target 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. UBS Group upped their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup raised PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total transaction of $39,857.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 37,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,292,668.26. This represents a 2.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 45,414 shares of the company's stock, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,140 shares of company stock worth $173,005. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in PPL during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in PPL during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in PPL in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its stake in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in PPL by 84.5% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

PPL Trading Up 1.1 %

PPL traded up $0.39 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $35.67. 5,110,918 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,828,178. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock's 50-day moving average is $34.73 and its 200 day moving average is $33.57. PPL has a 12 month low of $26.68 and a 12 month high of $36.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.65.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that PPL will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.2725 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. This is an increase from PPL's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL's dividend payout ratio is currently 90.08%.

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.