Independent Advisor Alliance Has $1.18 Million Stock Holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 47.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,324 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,767 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in PPL were worth $1,179,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PPL. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 12,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its position in PPL by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 17,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in PPL by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. raised its holdings in PPL by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 78,296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,480,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 37,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PPL Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PPL opened at $34.95 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $25.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76. PPL Co. has a 12 month low of $25.93 and a 12 month high of $35.91. The company has a 50 day moving average of $33.69 and a 200 day moving average of $33.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. The company had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.2725 dividend. This is an increase 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. PPL’s payout ratio is presently 90.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other PPL news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total transaction of $52,627.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares in the company, valued at $359,186.40. This represents a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total value of $213,510.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,513.60. This represents a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,779 shares of company stock valued at $386,515 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PPL shares. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.70.

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.