Venturi Wealth Management LLC Buys 9,608 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 1,688.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,177 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,608 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $330,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in PPL. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of PPL during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of PPL during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its holdings in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new stake in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other PPL news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total value of $213,510.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at $360,513.60. The trade was a 37.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total value of $52,627.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares in the company, valued at $359,186.40. This represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,633 shares of company stock worth $346,657. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:PPL opened at $34.17 on Friday. PPL Co. has a 1 year low of $25.87 and a 1 year high of $35.15. The company has a market capitalization of $25.22 billion, a PE ratio of 28.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $32.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.68. 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 posted its quarterly 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). The company had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. PPL had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. Analysts forecast that PPL Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.2725 dividend. 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. This is a boost from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL’s payout ratio is 85.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on PPL shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets started 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. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.00.

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.