PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Shares Bought by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,305,451 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 96,664 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $42,375,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of PPL. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in PPL by 43.1% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 36,788 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,217,000 after acquiring an additional 11,089 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of PPL by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 21,931 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $725,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in PPL during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $75,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its position in PPL by 109.3% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 121,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,004,000 after buying an additional 63,218 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in PPL by 5.6% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 162,050 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,361,000 after buying an additional 8,534 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Price Performance

Shares of PPL opened at $35.70 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $34.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.28. PPL Co. has a twelve month low of $25.93 and a twelve month high of $35.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. PPL had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. Research analysts anticipate that PPL Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.08%.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the insider now owns 10,845 shares in the company, valued at $359,186.40. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of PPL stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $32,843.88. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,414 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,520,460.72. This trade represents a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,140 shares of company stock worth $173,005 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PPL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup upgraded PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.27.

PPL 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.