PPL Corporation $PPL Shares Sold by IFM Investors Pty Ltd

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd has reduced its stake in PPL Corporation by 21.2%, selling 45,867 shares and leaving it with a total of 170,442 shares worth approximately $6.16 million.
• PPL Corporation reported a net earnings of $0.32 per share for the last quarter, which fell short of analyst expectations by $0.05, despite a 7.7% year-over-year revenue increase to $2.03 billion.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.2725 per share, scheduled for payment on October 1, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 3.0%.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd cut its stake in PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 21.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 170,442 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 45,867 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in PPL were worth $6,155,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PPL. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its position in PPL by 141.0% in the first 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 last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 94.3% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 818 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 8,350.0% in the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PPL in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 5,352.9% in the first quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 927 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Stock Performance

Shares of PPL stock traded up $0.19 on Friday, reaching $36.17. 2,841,568 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,547,422. PPL Corporation has a 1-year low of $31.22 and a 1-year high of $37.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $36.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.74 billion, a PE ratio of 26.99, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.65.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 11.22%.The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.99 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. The company'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. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 given 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 is presently 81.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other PPL news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.86, for a total transaction of $77,636.90. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on PPL shares. Barclays raised shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of PPL in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Two 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $36.70.

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.