27,477 Shares in PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL) Purchased by Heartland Bank & Trust Co

Heartland Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 27,477 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $992,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PPL. Shum Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Shum Financial Group Inc. now owns 31,463 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,136,000 after buying an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of PPL in the first quarter worth $925,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY raised its holdings in PPL by 2.5% in the first quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 54,450 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,966,000 after acquiring an additional 1,350 shares in the last quarter. Good Steward Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in PPL in the first quarter valued at $251,000. Finally, Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its stake in PPL by 23.1% during the 1st quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 15,678 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $566,000 after acquiring an additional 2,945 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:PPL opened at $33.75 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $34.91 and a 200-day moving average of $34.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.95 billion, a PE ratio of 25.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.65. PPL Corporation has a 52 week low of $27.24 and a 52 week high of $36.70.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.07. PPL had a return on equity of 9.14% and a net margin of 11.49%. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.54 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that PPL Corporation will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be given a dividend of $0.2725 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.23%. PPL's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PPL shares. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded PPL from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim increased their target price on PPL from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PPL has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 1,767 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.98, for a total value of $61,809.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,485 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,591,065.30. This represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.28% 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.

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