Strs Ohio Invests $3.12 Million in PPL Corporation $PPL

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has acquired a new stake in PPL Corporation by purchasing 86,423 shares valued at approximately $3.12 million during the 1st quarter.
• Several other institutional investors, including Boston Partners and American Century Companies Inc., have significantly increased their holdings in PPL, indicating a growing interest in the company.
• PPL recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.2725 per share, representing an annual yield of 3.0%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 10th.

Strs Ohio purchased a new position in PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 86,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,121,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PPL. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its stake in PPL by 141.0% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 723 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in PPL by 94.3% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 818 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its stake in PPL by 8,350.0% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in PPL during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC grew its stake in PPL by 5,352.9% during the first quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 927 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PPL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays raised shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of PPL in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $36.67.

PPL Price Performance

Shares of PPL stock traded up $0.11 on Friday, reaching $35.69. 6,140,519 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,184,874. The firm's 50 day moving average is $36.19 and its 200-day moving average is $35.19. PPL Corporation has a one year low of $31.22 and a one year high of $37.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $26.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 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 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 the consensus estimate of $1.99 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.38 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. PPL has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.750-1.870 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that PPL Corporation will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be paid a $0.2725 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. PPL's dividend payout ratio is presently 81.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief operating officer owned 45,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,633,781.60. This represents a 4.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.