PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $35.22.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PPL. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of PPL from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on PPL in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd.

Institutional Trading of PPL

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PPL in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of PPL during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in PPL in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in shares of PPL during the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in PPL during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:PPL opened at $32.73 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $24.15 billion, a PE ratio of 31.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.82. PPL has a one year low of $23.36 and a one year high of $33.38.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 9.26% and a net margin of 10.17%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.29 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that PPL will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th were paid a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

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.