Analysts Set Expectations for PPL’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:PPL)

PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) – Zacks Research upped their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for PPL in a research report issued on Monday, October 14th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the utilities provider will earn $0.52 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.51. The consensus estimate for PPL’s current full-year earnings is $1.72 per share.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on PPL in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.56.

PPL Stock Performance

Shares of PPL opened at $32.37 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.91. PPL has a one year low of $23.36 and a one year high of $33.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $32.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.60. The company has a market capitalization of $23.88 billion, a PE ratio of 31.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.82.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. PPL had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 9.26%. PPL’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS.

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th were issued a dividend of $0.2575 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. PPL’s payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PPL

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in PPL by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,378 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 1,033 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $266,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PPL during the fourth quarter worth $403,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in PPL by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $212,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of PPL by 0.5% during the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 129,697 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,571,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.