PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $35.50.

PPL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on PPL in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on PPL from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th.

PPL Stock Performance

PPL opened at $34.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.81. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $32.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.57. PPL has a 52-week low of $25.35 and a 52-week high of $34.31.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42. PPL had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. PPL’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that PPL will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal 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. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.97%.

Institutional Trading of PPL

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 17,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $585,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC raised its holdings in PPL by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 79,887 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,209,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY boosted its position in PPL by 2.4% during the third quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 14,848 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $491,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in PPL by 15.7% in the second quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 2,611 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Finally, Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of PPL by 3.4% in the second quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 11,250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

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.