2,177 Shares in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Purchased by Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,177 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $71,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in PPL by 195.5% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in PPL in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in PPL in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its stake in PPL by 1,092.2% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in PPL by 139.2% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other PPL news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,434 shares in the company, valued at $427,107.90. This trade represents a 42.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 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 $47,675.52. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,259 shares in the company, valued at $376,951.32. The trade was a 11.23 % 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 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

PPL Stock Performance

PPL stock opened at $34.17 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83. PPL Co. has a 1-year low of $25.87 and a 1-year high of $35.15.

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

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. PPL’s payout ratio is currently 91.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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 note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price target on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PPL currently has an average 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.