Quantbot Technologies LP Buys Shares of 341,037 PPL Corporation $PPL

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies acquired 341,037 shares of PPL worth approximately $12.4 million, while institutional investors collectively own 76.99% of the company.
• PPL’s latest quarterly results slightly missed expectations, with EPS of $0.33 versus $0.34 expected and revenue of $2.11 billion versus $2.19 billion forecast. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $1.90–$1.98.
• PPL declared a quarterly dividend of $0.285 per share, equivalent to a 3.3% annualized yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $41.33, compared with a recent share price of $34.42.

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 341,037 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $12,397,000. PPL makes up about 0.5% of Quantbot Technologies LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in PPL by 569.8% in the 2nd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 35,633 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,295,000 after acquiring an additional 30,313 shares in the last quarter. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP purchased a new stake in PPL during the second quarter worth about $1,286,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the second quarter worth about $5,111,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the second quarter worth about $1,893,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of PPL by 9.3% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,837,296 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $66,786,000 after purchasing an additional 157,005 shares in the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of PPL stock opened at $34.42 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. PPL Corporation has a 52-week low of $33.17 and a 52-week high of $40.10. The company has a market capitalization of $25.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average of $35.83 and a 200 day moving average of $36.75.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm 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 earnings per share. 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, research analysts forecast that PPL Corporation will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of PPL from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of PPL from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays increased their price objective on PPL from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of PPL in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on PPL from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $41.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Ashley F. Johnson sold 34,993 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.08, for a total transaction of $772,645.44. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 561,482 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,397,522.56. The trade was a 5.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kristen Robinson sold 37,107 shares of PPL stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.05, for a total value of $929,530.35. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 222,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,583,569.85. This trade represents a 14.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

PPL Profile

PPL Corporation is an energy company that owns and operates electric transmission and distribution infrastructure and provides related customer services. The company's core business centers on delivering electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers through regulated utility operations, maintaining grid reliability, responding to outages and managing customer billing and account services.

PPL's activities include construction and maintenance of distribution and transmission lines, meter and grid management, and programs to support energy efficiency and the interconnection of distributed resources.

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