Yaupon Capital Management LP Has $25.42 Million Stock Holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Yaupon Capital Management LP reduced its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 26.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 783,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 288,721 shares during the period. PPL accounts for approximately 1.0% of Yaupon Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Yaupon Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.11% of PPL worth $25,420,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in PPL by 8,266.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,518,141 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $309,060,000 after buying an additional 9,404,382 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $228,509,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in PPL during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $147,480,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in PPL by 12.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,758,947 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,115,824,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731,412 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in PPL by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 27,465,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $891,532,000 after purchasing an additional 3,380,745 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company's stock.

PPL Stock Down 0.9 %

PPL traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $35.93. 5,288,941 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,914,205. The stock has a market cap of $26.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.69, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.65. PPL Co. has a 1-year low of $27.02 and a 1-year high of $36.66. The stock's 50-day moving average is $34.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.66. 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 (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $2.21 billion for 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from PPL's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL's dividend payout ratio is presently 90.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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. Barclays increased their price target on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Citigroup raised PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $35.70.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other news, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total transaction of $39,857.88. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 37,167 shares in the company, valued at $1,292,668.26. The trade was a 2.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $32,843.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,414 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,520,460.72. The trade was a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 5,140 shares of company stock valued at $173,005. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

PPL 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.