PPL (NYSE:PPL) Stock Picked Up by Analysts at HSBC

Key Points

• HSBC initiated coverage of PPL with a “buy” rating and a $42 price target, implying approximately 21.4% upside from the reported $34.60 share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with PPL holding a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $40.00; ratings include 10 Buys, one Strong Buy, and four Holds.
• PPL’s latest quarterly results slightly missed expectations, reporting $0.33 EPS versus a $0.34 estimate and $2.11 billion in revenue versus $2.19 billion expected, while full-year EPS guidance was set at $1.90–$1.98.

Stock analysts at HSBC began coverage on shares of PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set a "buy" rating and a $42.00 price target on the utilities provider's stock. HSBC's price target would indicate a potential upside of 21.39% from the company's current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on PPL. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on PPL from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on PPL in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. They set a "sector perform" rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price objective on PPL from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Scotiabank assumed coverage on PPL in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut PPL from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $40.00.

PPL Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE PPL opened at $34.60 on Thursday. The company's fifty day moving average is $34.14 and its 200-day moving average is $35.66. The stock has a market cap of $26.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.56. PPL has a twelve month low of $31.56 and a twelve month high of $40.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.34 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. PPL had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 9.33%. PPL's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.32 EPS. PPL has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-1.980 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that PPL will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other news, EVP Wendy Stark sold 5,406 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total transaction of $189,804.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 99,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,483,614.20. This represents a 5.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PPL

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in PPL during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $187,326,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of PPL by 7.1% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,157,814 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $114,787,000 after purchasing an additional 208,820 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in PPL by 23.7% during the second quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,056,733 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $74,762,000 after purchasing an additional 393,748 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in PPL by 9.3% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,837,296 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $66,786,000 after purchasing an additional 157,005 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in PPL in the second quarter valued at $54,611,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company's stock.

About PPL

PPL Corporation NYSE: PPL is an energy and utility holding company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Through its regulated utility subsidiaries, the company delivers electricity and natural gas, operates electric distribution and transmission systems, and provides related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers.

PPL's principal businesses include PPL Electric Utilities in Pennsylvania, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities in Kentucky, and Rhode Island Energy in Rhode Island.

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