Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Acquires New Stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 24,172 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $785,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PPL. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in PPL in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PPL in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in PPL by 1,092.2% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in PPL by 139.2% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,512 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Stock Performance

PPL stock traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $35.22. 5,453,858 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,570,498. PPL Co. has a 52-week low of $25.93 and a 52-week high of $35.91. The stock has a market cap of $26.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.83. 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's 50 day moving average is $33.35 and its 200 day moving average is $32.93.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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). PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.09 billion. Analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.2725 per share. 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 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. PPL's payout ratio is presently 90.08%.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In related news, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total value of $39,857.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 37,167 shares in the company, valued at $1,292,668.26. This represents a 2.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of PPL stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was 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 approximately $360,513.60. This 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 ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on PPL. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, PPL has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.