Energy Income Partners LLC Acquires 105,890 Shares of PPL Corporation $PPL

Key Points

• Energy Income Partners LLC increased its stake in PPL Corporation by 3.4%, owning approximately 3.26 million shares worth $117.61 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• PPL recently reported an EPS of $0.32 for the quarter, missing analyst estimates of $0.37, while quarterly revenue reached $2.03 billion, exceeding expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.2725 per share, representing a 3.0% dividend yield, with an upcoming payment scheduled for October 1st.

Energy Income Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 3.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,257,104 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 105,890 shares during the period. PPL accounts for about 2.3% of Energy Income Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Energy Income Partners LLC owned 0.44% of PPL worth $117,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of PPL by 17.5% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 79,088 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,824,000 after acquiring an additional 11,782 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of PPL by 9.2% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,975,310 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $107,438,000 after acquiring an additional 250,564 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of PPL by 45.0% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 30,603 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,105,000 after acquiring an additional 9,503 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its stake in shares of PPL by 13.7% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 9,748 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $352,000 after acquiring an additional 1,175 shares during the period. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of PPL during the first quarter valued at approximately $992,000. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports 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. Barclays upgraded shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of PPL in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Two equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $36.70.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.86, for a total value of $77,636.90. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

PPL Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:PPL traded up $0.30 during trading on Thursday, reaching $36.52. 7,559,111 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,594,565. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.09. The firm has a market cap of $27.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.65. PPL Corporation has a 1-year low of $31.22 and a 1-year high of $37.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.99 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.38 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. PPL has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.750-1.870 EPS. Analysts anticipate that PPL Corporation will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued a $0.2725 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. PPL's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.