PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank decreased its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,084,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 105,600 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.28% of PPL worth $67,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PPL. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 74,158 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,407,000 after buying an additional 4,272 shares during the period. Essential Planning LLC. acquired a new position in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at $664,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 69.0% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,072 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 11,822 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 1,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth High Governance Capital Ltda acquired a new position in PPL in the fourth quarter valued at $3,019,000. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.70.

PPL Trading Up 2.3 %

NYSE:PPL opened at $34.95 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $33.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.80 billion, a PE ratio of 28.88, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.21 billion for 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 predict that PPL Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.2725 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is 90.08%.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other PPL news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was 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 owns 10,845 shares in the company, valued at $359,186.40. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were 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 directly owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,513.60. The trade was a 37.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 11,779 shares of company stock valued at $386,515. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.