PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Shares Purchased by Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC

Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC raised its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,997,610 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 124,275 shares during the period. PPL accounts for 1.1% of Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC owned about 0.27% of PPL worth $64,842,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of PPL. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in PPL during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 139.2% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,512 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

PPL Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE PPL traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $33.90. 4,795,324 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,672,461. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.86. PPL Co. has a 52-week low of $25.93 and a 52-week high of $35.91. The business's fifty day moving average price is $33.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.03 billion, a PE ratio of 28.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.09 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. Analysts forecast that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.2725 per share. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. This is an increase from PPL's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio is 90.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of PPL stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $32,843.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 45,414 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,520,460.72. This trade represents a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares in the company, valued at $359,186.40. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,779 shares of company stock valued at $386,515 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on PPL. Barclays raised their price target on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.27.

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.