Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. Has $2.42 Million Stock Position in PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL)

Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. reduced its position in shares of PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 52.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,999 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 72,785 shares during the period. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.'s holdings in PPL were worth $2,419,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in PPL during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in PPL by 84.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 579 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its holdings in shares of PPL by 121.4% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,581 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 867 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of PPL by 69.0% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,072 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 846 shares during the period. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at PPL

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 1,767 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.98, for a total transaction of $61,809.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 45,485 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,591,065.30. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

PPL Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of PPL stock opened at $33.51 on Friday. PPL Corporation has a 12-month low of $27.24 and a 12-month high of $36.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $34.93 and a 200-day moving average of $34.11. The company has a market capitalization of $24.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.65.

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

PPL Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.2725 per share. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.74%.

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.

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