PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Insider Christine M. Martin Sells 1,146 Shares of Stock

PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total value of $39,857.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 37,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,292,668.26. This trade represents a 2.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

PPL Stock Performance

PPL stock opened at $34.72 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $33.40 and its 200 day moving average is $32.95. The company has a market capitalization of $25.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.70, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.83. PPL Co. has a twelve month low of $25.93 and a twelve month high of $35.91. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. PPL had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. On average, equities research analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 3.14%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on PPL. Barclays raised their price target on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.27.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PPL

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 76,593 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,534,000 after purchasing an additional 10,090 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in PPL by 284.0% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 21,649 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $716,000 after buying an additional 16,011 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC raised its position in PPL by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 10,651 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 1,338 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in PPL by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 425,639 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,080,000 after acquiring an additional 18,296 shares during the period. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 18,372 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $608,000 after acquiring an additional 3,543 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

About PPL

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.