PPL (NYSE:PPL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

PPL (NYSE:PPL) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $35.00 to $36.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. UBS Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 3.52% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on PPL. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup upgraded shares of PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PPL has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.27.

PPL Stock Down 0.6 %

PPL stock opened at $34.78 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. PPL has a 12-month low of $25.93 and a 12-month high of $35.91. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $33.99 and its 200 day moving average is $33.20. The company has a market capitalization of $25.67 billion, a PE ratio of 28.74, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PPL will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other PPL news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total transaction of $52,627.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $359,186.40. The trade was a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total transaction of $39,857.88. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 37,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,292,668.26. The trade was a 2.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,140 shares of company stock valued at $173,005. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of PPL

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP purchased a new stake in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter worth about $816,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 151.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 152,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,949,000 after purchasing an additional 91,711 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH bought a new position in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter worth approximately $941,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,175,000. Finally, Yoffe Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter worth approximately $328,000. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.