PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $40.00 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• PPL has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 14 analysts, with nine buys, four holds, and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $40, compared with the stock’s recent price of $35.22.
• Recent analyst views were mixed but generally positive: price targets range from $35 to $45, with Wells Fargo and JPMorgan raising targets while Morgan Stanley and Barclays lowered theirs.
• PPL reported quarterly EPS of $0.33, slightly below the $0.34 consensus, and revenue of $2.11 billion versus expectations of $2.19 billion. The company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.285 per share, yielding about 3.2% annually.

PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.00.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on PPL. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of PPL from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on PPL from $42.00 to $39.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on PPL in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on PPL from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on PPL from $41.00 to $38.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday.

PPL Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PPL opened at $35.22 on Friday. PPL has a twelve month low of $31.56 and a twelve month high of $40.10. The stock's 50 day moving average is $34.18 and its 200-day moving average is $35.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.84, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.56.

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

PPL Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, September 10th were issued a dividend of $0.2850 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. PPL's dividend payout ratio is 67.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at PPL

In related news, EVP Wendy E. Stark sold 5,406 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 99,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,614.20. This represents a 5.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Ashley Johnson sold 34,993 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.08, for a total value of $772,645.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 561,482 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,397,522.56. The trade was a 5.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of PPL

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 494.5% in the second quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 862 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in PPL in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of PPL by 206.7% during the 2nd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,291 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of PPL by 72.5% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 1,087 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of PPL during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $119,000. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

PPL Company Profile

PPL Corporation NYSE: PPL is an energy holding company that owns and operates regulated electric and natural gas utilities in the United States. Its businesses deliver electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, while also operating and maintaining the infrastructure needed to support reliable energy service.

PPL's principal subsidiaries include PPL Electric Utilities, which serves customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania; Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities, which provide electric and natural gas service in Kentucky; and Rhode Island Energy, which supplies electricity and natural gas to customers across Rhode Island.

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