Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. Grows Stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. raised its stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 0.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 77,512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the period. PPL makes up 1.2% of Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C.’s holdings in PPL were worth $2,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of PPL by 179.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,038 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 667 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PPL during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PPL during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its position in shares of PPL by 138.9% during the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,371 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in PPL by 46.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,507 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the period. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Stock Down 0.4 %

PPL stock traded down $0.10 on Wednesday, hitting $27.70. 4,537,116 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,882,363. PPL Co. has a 12-month low of $22.20 and a 12-month high of $29.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $28.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market cap of $20.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.82.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.02. PPL had a return on equity of 8.80% and a net margin of 9.29%. The firm had revenue of $2.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.2575 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 10th. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.72%. PPL’s payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on PPL. Barclays increased their target price on PPL from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Argus raised PPL from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 8th. StockNews.com raised PPL from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on PPL from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on PPL from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.36.

PPL Company 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.