UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Buys 410,570 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 626.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 476,120 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 410,570 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd owned 0.06% of PPL worth $15,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in PPL during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 84.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $47,675.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,259 shares in the company, valued at $376,951.32. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total value of $52,627.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $359,186.40. The trade was a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,140 shares of company stock valued at $173,005. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup raised shares of PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PPL has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.27.

PPL Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:PPL opened at $35.03 on Friday. PPL Co. has a 1 year low of $25.93 and a 1 year high of $35.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $34.18 and its 200 day moving average is $33.26. The company has a market cap of $25.86 billion, a PE ratio of 28.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its 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 net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. This is a boost from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.08%.

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.