Dynasty Wealth Management LLC Acquires 39,330 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Dynasty Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 374.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 39,330 shares during the period. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $1,618,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Argyle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 71,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,331,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in PPL by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 251,757 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,172,000 after purchasing an additional 33,131 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in PPL during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,631,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of PPL by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 210,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,844,000 after purchasing an additional 9,264 shares during the period. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 99,214 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,220,000 after buying an additional 799 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Trading Down 1.0 %

PPL stock opened at $34.53 on Friday. PPL Co. has a 12 month low of $25.87 and a 12 month high of $35.15. The stock has a market cap of $25.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $33.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL’s payout ratio is currently 90.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays increased their target price on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PPL presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.27.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total value of $52,627.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $359,186.40. The trade was a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the 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 owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,513.60. This trade represents a 37.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,633 shares of company stock worth $346,657. Corporate insiders own 0.22% 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.