CW Advisors LLC Has $1.60 Million Stake in PPL Corporation $PPL

Key Points

• CW Advisors LLC significantly increased its stake in PPL Corporation by 128.2%, acquiring an additional 24,858 shares during the 1st quarter, bringing its total holdings to 44,250 shares valued at $1,598,000.
• Analysts have shown a positive outlook for PPL, with Barclays upgrading it to a "strong-buy" rating, while the stock currently holds a consensus rating of "Buy" with a price target of $36.70.
• PPL Corporation has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.2725, leading to an annualized yield of 3.0%, with a current dividend payout ratio of 81.34%.

CW Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 128.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,250 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 24,858 shares during the quarter. CW Advisors LLC's holdings in PPL were worth $1,598,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 141.0% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 723 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 94.3% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 818 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in PPL in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. HM Payson & Co. boosted its stake in PPL by 1,057.6% during the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 984 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 899 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AllSquare Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of PPL during the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.86, for a total value of $77,636.90. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 45,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,633,781.60. The trade was a 4.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

PPL Stock Performance

PPL traded up $0.05 on Friday, hitting $36.61. The company had a trading volume of 2,601,260 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,595,195. PPL Corporation has a 1-year low of $31.22 and a 1-year high of $37.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market cap of $27.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.64. The company's fifty day moving average price is $35.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.04.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.05). PPL had a net margin of 11.22% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. PPL has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.750-1.870 EPS. Equities analysts predict that PPL Corporation will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.2725 per share. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PPL from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of PPL in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Barclays raised shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of PPL from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PPL presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $36.70.

PPL 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.