Plan Group Financial LLC Boosts Stock Position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Plan Group Financial LLC raised its position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 29,940 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,362 shares during the quarter. Plan Group Financial LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 195.5% during the third 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 worth approximately $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in PPL during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In other PPL news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 shares of PPL stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $47,675.52. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $376,951.32. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $32,843.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,414 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,520,460.72. The trade was a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,794 shares of company stock valued at $661,338 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on PPL. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America upped their target price on PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

PPL Price Performance

NYSE:PPL opened at $34.17 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. PPL Co. has a 52 week low of $25.87 and a 52 week high of $35.15. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $32.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.22 billion, a PE ratio of 28.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.83.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal 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 is a positive change from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.19%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.12%.

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.