Tounjian Advisory Partners LLC Takes Position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Tounjian Advisory Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 37,610 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,358,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in PPL by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 12,530 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The grew its holdings in shares of PPL by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 28,002 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $909,000 after buying an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC boosted its position in PPL by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 37,622 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its stake in PPL by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 11,272 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on PPL. Barclays lifted their price target on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of PPL from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded PPL from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $36.90.

PPL Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE PPL opened at $34.04 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $25.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.13, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.17. PPL Co. has a one year low of $27.24 and a one year high of $36.70.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.15 billion. PPL had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.54 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be issued a $0.2725 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. PPL's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 1,767 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.98, for a total transaction of $61,809.66. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 45,485 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,591,065.30. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.

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