DRW Securities LLC Buys Shares of 88,683 PPL Corporation $PPL

Key Points

• DRW Securities LLC has invested approximately $3.20 million in PPL Corporation, acquiring a total of 88,683 shares of the utility provider.
• Several institutional investors, including Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. and Truvestments Capital LLC, have significantly increased their holdings in PPL during the 1st quarter.
• PPL Corporation's quarterly earnings report showed a missed earnings estimate of $0.32 per share, falling short of the consensus estimate of $0.37.

DRW Securities LLC acquired a new stake in PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 88,683 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,202,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of PPL by 37.2% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 13,062,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $471,756,000 after buying an additional 3,544,282 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in PPL by 1,418.1% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,909,371 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $105,057,000 after buying an additional 2,717,726 shares during the period. Merewether Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter worth $70,063,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PPL in the 1st quarter worth about $60,020,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of PPL by 42.9% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,779,155 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $172,575,000 after buying an additional 1,434,778 shares in the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.86, for a total transaction of $77,636.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 45,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,633,781.60. This represents a 4.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PPL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of PPL in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Barclays upgraded shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PPL from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PPL presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.70.

PPL Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:PPL traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $36.23. 5,166,997 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,761,106. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.59. PPL Corporation has a 52-week low of $31.22 and a 52-week high of $37.38. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $35.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.09. The firm has a market cap of $26.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.65.

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

PPL Announces Dividend

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

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.