PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Insider John R. Crockett III Sells 9,161 Shares

PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total value of $314,680.35. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $427,107.90. This represents a 42.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

PPL Trading Down 0.1 %

PPL stock traded down $0.05 during trading on Monday, hitting $34.40. 4,949,782 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,889,612. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.39 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.81. PPL Co. has a 1 year low of $25.35 and a 1 year high of $35.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company has a 50-day moving average of $32.75 and a 200-day moving average of $30.68.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42. PPL had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $0.2575 per share. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PPL

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 66.6% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 28,009 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $771,000 after acquiring an additional 11,199 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in PPL by 3.8% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 13,748 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares in the last quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new position in PPL during the 1st quarter worth $741,000. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in PPL during the 1st quarter worth approximately $201,000. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its stake in PPL by 16.5% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 44,713 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,231,000 after acquiring an additional 6,331 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PPL. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on PPL in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PPL presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.50.

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.