Trexquant Investment LP Sells 148,641 Shares of PPL Corporation $PPL

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP has significantly reduced its holdings in PPL Corporation, cutting its position by 77.4% during the 1st quarter, retaining only 43,496 shares valued at approximately $1.57 million.
• PPL Corporation's most recent earnings report revealed an EPS of $0.32, missing analysts' expectations of $0.37, despite a year-over-year revenue increase of 7.7%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.2725 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.0%, with a payout ratio of 81.34%.

Trexquant Investment LP cut its holdings in PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 77.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,496 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 148,641 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP's holdings in PPL were worth $1,571,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its holdings in PPL by 141.0% in the 1st 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 period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its holdings in PPL by 94.3% in the 1st 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 period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in PPL in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Truvestments Capital LLC boosted its holdings in PPL by 5,352.9% in the 1st 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 period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in PPL by 97,800.0% in the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 979 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 978 shares during the period. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of PPL stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.86, for a total transaction of $77,636.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 45,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,633,781.60. The trade was a 4.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

PPL Price Performance

NYSE:PPL traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $35.97. The stock had a trading volume of 3,412,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,175,745. 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 current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.16.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.38 earnings per share. 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. Research analysts forecast that PPL Corporation will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.2725 per share. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 10th. PPL's payout ratio is currently 81.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of PPL in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.70.

PPL Profile

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.