PPL Corporation $PPL Stock: Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Position

Key Points

• Foster Victor Wealth Advisors increased its PPL stake by 16.4% in the third quarter, adding 43,216 shares to own 307,236 shares worth approximately $10.5 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 76.99% of PPL.
• PPL shares opened at $34.60, with the stock valued at about $26.04 billion. The company recently reported quarterly revenue of $2.11 billion and EPS of $0.33, slightly below analyst expectations.
• PPL maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.285 per share, equivalent to an annualized $1.14 payout and a 3.3% yield. Analysts rate the stock a “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $39.86.

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 307,236 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 43,216 shares during the quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in PPL were worth $10,541,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PPL. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in PPL by 494.5% in the 2nd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 862 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the period. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in PPL in the second quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Covestor Ltd grew its position in PPL by 206.7% in the second quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,291 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 870 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of PPL by 72.5% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087 shares during the period. Finally, Silvant Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PPL during the second quarter valued at approximately $119,000. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PPL Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:PPL opened at $34.60 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.91. PPL Corporation has a one year low of $31.56 and a one year high of $40.10. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $34.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.66. The stock has a market cap of $26.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.56.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.01). PPL had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 9.33%. The business had revenue of $2.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. PPL has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-1.980 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PPL Corporation will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 10th were given a $0.2850 dividend. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on PPL shares. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of PPL from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of PPL from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of PPL to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $39.86.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Wendy Stark sold 5,406 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total transaction of $189,804.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 99,220 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,614.20. This represents a 5.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

PPL Profile

PPL Corporation NYSE: PPL is an energy and utility holding company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Through its regulated utility subsidiaries, the company delivers electricity and natural gas, operates electric distribution and transmission systems, and provides related energy services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers.

PPL's principal businesses include PPL Electric Utilities in Pennsylvania, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities in Kentucky, and Rhode Island Energy in Rhode Island.

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