PPL (PPL) – Investment Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Updates

A number of research firms have changed their ratings and price targets for PPL (NYSE: PPL):

• 12/17/2024 – PPL had its price target lowered by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from $39.00 to $38.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 12/12/2024 – PPL was upgraded by analysts at Barclays PLC from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating.
• 12/12/2024 – PPL had its price target raised by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $31.00 to $36.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 12/11/2024 – PPL is now covered by analysts at BMO Capital Markets. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock.
• 11/4/2024 – PPL had its price target raised by analysts at Bank of America Co. from $34.00 to $35.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.

PPL Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE PPL opened at $32.60 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $33.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.31. The company has a market capitalization of $24.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.82. PPL Co. has a 12 month low of $25.35 and a 12 month high of $35.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 9.95%. PPL’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $0.2575 per share. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 10th. PPL’s payout ratio is 91.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PPL news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total transaction of $314,680.35. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $427,107.90. The trade was a 42.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $360,513.60. The trade was a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PPL. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in PPL by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 17,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $585,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Leelyn Smith LLC boosted its position in PPL by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 79,887 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,209,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the period. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY grew its stake in PPL by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 14,848 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $491,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PPL by 3.1% in the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in PPL by 1.4% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 26,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $869,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

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.