Sei Investments Co. Has $14.38 Million Stock Position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Sei Investments Co. grew its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 10.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 443,014 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 42,456 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned approximately 0.06% of PPL worth $14,380,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 5.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,459,099 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,215,363,000 after acquiring an additional 1,720,941 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of PPL by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 35,089,490 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,160,760,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050,122 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in PPL by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,758,947 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,115,824,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731,412 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in PPL by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 17,177,883 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $566,275,000 after buying an additional 201,417 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its stake in PPL by 8,266.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,518,141 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $309,060,000 after buying an additional 9,404,382 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PPL has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Citigroup raised PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed 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. Four investment 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $35.27.

PPL Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE PPL traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $36.18. The company had a trading volume of 3,646,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,743,416. PPL Co. has a 1-year low of $25.93 and a 1-year high of $36.42. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $34.41 and its 200-day moving average is $33.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. On average, analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a $0.2725 dividend. This is a positive change from PPL's previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. PPL's dividend payout ratio is currently 90.08%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total value of $52,627.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at $359,186.40. This represents a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $47,675.52. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at $376,951.32. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,140 shares of company stock valued at $173,005 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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.