V Square Quantitative Management LLC Reduces Position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 9,611 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 986 shares during the quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in PPL by 195.5% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in PPL during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in PPL in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its holdings in PPL by 1,092.2% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new position in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total transaction of $314,680.35. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $427,107.90. This represents a 42.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $32,843.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,414 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,520,460.72. This represents a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,794 shares of company stock valued at $661,338 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

PPL Price Performance

Shares of PPL opened at $33.76 on Monday. PPL Co. has a fifty-two week low of $25.87 and a fifty-two week high of $35.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $32.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.59. The company has a market cap of $24.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.14, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). PPL had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that PPL Co. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.2725 per share. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on PPL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America boosted 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. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

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.