Analysts Set PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) PT at $33.75

Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.75.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on PPL in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company.

PPL Stock Performance

Shares of PPL stock opened at $32.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.26 billion, a PE ratio of 31.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.82. PPL has a 1 year low of $22.20 and a 1 year high of $33.01. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.11.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.05. PPL had a return on equity of 9.26% and a net margin of 10.17%. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.29 EPS. PPL’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that PPL will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.2575 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PPL

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of PPL by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 198,807 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,388,000 after purchasing an additional 8,727 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in PPL by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 4,673 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 1,132 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 249,927 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,773,000 after buying an additional 10,593 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of PPL by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 327,513 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,876,000 after acquiring an additional 3,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TFO Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 1,401,700.0% during the 4th quarter. TFO Wealth Partners LLC now owns 14,018 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 14,017 shares in the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.