PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Shares Acquired by Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 210,849 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,264 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in PPL were worth $6,844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PPL. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PPL by 3,322.3% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 212,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,421,000 after acquiring an additional 206,216 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in PPL by 35.4% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 48,220 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,585,000 after purchasing an additional 12,609 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 60,749 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,010,000 after purchasing an additional 2,474 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PPL in the 3rd quarter valued at $253,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of PPL by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 646,535 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $21,387,000 after buying an additional 32,067 shares during the period. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at PPL

In other PPL news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total transaction of $52,627.68. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 10,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at $359,186.40. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total value of $213,510.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,210 shares of the company's stock, valued at $360,513.60. This trade represents a 37.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,779 shares of company stock valued at $386,515 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on PPL shares. Barclays increased their target price on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $34.27.

PPL Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE PPL traded down $0.47 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $35.21. 5,775,720 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,581,770. The company has a market capitalization of $25.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.83. The business's 50-day moving average price is $33.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.93. 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 twelve month low of $25.93 and a twelve month high of $35.91.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.2725 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 3.10%. PPL's 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.