PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Shares Sold by Compton Financial Group LLC

Compton Financial Group LLC lessened its position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 12,432 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,026 shares during the period. PPL accounts for about 0.1% of Compton Financial Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Compton Financial Group LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of PPL. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new stake in PPL in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of PPL during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of PPL during the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PPL in the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in PPL in the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Price Performance

Shares of PPL stock traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $32.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 327,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,849,824. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The business has a fifty day moving average of $32.00 and a 200-day moving average of $29.58. PPL Co. has a twelve month low of $23.36 and a twelve month high of $33.38. The stock has a market cap of $23.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.82.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.29 earnings per share. PPL’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that PPL Co. will post 1.72 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.2575 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PPL. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on PPL in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on PPL from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.56.

PPL 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.