Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd increased its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 8.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 134,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,038 shares during the quarter. PPL accounts for approximately 2.6% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in PPL were worth $4,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PPL. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of PPL by 195.5% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of PPL during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in PPL by 139.2% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in PPL by 5,759.3% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,582 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 1,555 shares during the period. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PPL opened at $33.59 on Friday. PPL Co. has a 1-year low of $25.35 and a 1-year high of $35.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $32.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.18. The company has a market capitalization of $24.79 billion, a PE ratio of 29.99, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.83.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.42. PPL had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 9.95%. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a dividend of $0.2575 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.97%.

Insider Activity at PPL

In related news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total transaction of $213,510.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $360,513.60. This trade represents a 37.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total value of $314,680.35. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,434 shares in the company, valued at $427,107.90. This trade represents a 42.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,794 shares of company stock valued at $661,338 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PPL. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays decreased their price objective on PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

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.