PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) SVP Sells $213,510.24 in Stock

PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total transaction of $213,510.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $360,513.60. This represents a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

PPL Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of PPL stock opened at $32.43 on Friday. PPL Co. has a twelve month low of $25.35 and a twelve month high of $35.15. The company has a market capitalization of $23.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.96, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $33.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42. PPL had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that PPL Co. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a $0.2575 dividend. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PPL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on PPL in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PPL currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.09.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PPL

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in PPL in the 2nd quarter valued at about $284,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in PPL by 16.8% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,030 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in PPL by 5.2% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,514,529 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,877,000 after purchasing an additional 74,738 shares during the period. &PARTNERS acquired a new position in PPL during the second quarter worth approximately $657,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in PPL during the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.