GTS Securities LLC Sells 65,710 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

GTS Securities LLC decreased its holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 84.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,090 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 65,710 shares during the quarter. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in PPL were worth $392,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new stake in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in PPL during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in PPL by 84.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new position in PPL in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

PPL Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE PPL traded up $0.30 on Friday, hitting $34.72. 5,617,847 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,968,236. PPL Co. has a twelve month low of $27.24 and a twelve month high of $36.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.70. The company's 50 day moving average price is $35.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $34.16.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.07. PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.54 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that PPL Co. 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 given a dividend of $0.2725 per share. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PPL has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays increased 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. Citigroup raised shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded PPL from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $36.90.

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.