PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Shares Sold by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. lowered its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 14.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 402,474 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 66,564 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.05% of PPL worth $13,064,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in PPL during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PPL during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in PPL by 1,092.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in PPL by 84.5% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PPL Stock Performance

NYSE PPL traded down $0.06 on Tuesday, reaching $36.05. 5,188,519 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,746,432. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $26.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76. PPL Co. has a fifty-two week low of $25.93 and a fifty-two week high of $36.42.

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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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. The company had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Equities research analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.2725 dividend. This is a positive change from PPL's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio is currently 90.08%.

Insider Transactions 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $359,186.40. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of PPL stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total transaction of $39,857.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 37,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,292,668.26. This trade represents a 2.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,140 shares of company stock worth $173,005 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on PPL shares. Morgan Stanley increased 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. 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. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup upgraded PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $35.27.

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.