PPL (NYSE:PPL) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of PPL (NYSE:PPL) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $38.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock.

PPL has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on PPL from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, PPL presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $33.75.

PPL Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:PPL opened at $32.46 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $30.89 and a 200 day moving average of $28.91. PPL has a 52-week low of $22.20 and a 52-week high of $32.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.95 billion, a PE ratio of 31.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.82.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 9.26% and a net margin of 10.17%. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.29 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that PPL will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.2575 per share. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Institutional Trading of PPL

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PPL in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of PPL during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in shares of PPL in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PPL in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in PPL by 46.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,507 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.