PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $35.50.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of PPL from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock.

PPL Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of PPL stock opened at $33.72 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.10, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.81. PPL has a 52 week low of $25.35 and a 52 week high of $33.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $30.38.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.10 billion. PPL had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The business’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. Analysts predict that PPL will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were given a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.06%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.97%.

Institutional Trading of PPL

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PPL by 195.5% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in PPL during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in PPL during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in PPL during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in PPL during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% 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.