UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Acquires 496,769 Shares of PPL Corporation $PPL

Key Points

• UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in PPL Corporation by 104.3% during the first quarter, holding a total of 972,889 shares valued at approximately $35 million.
• PPL Corporation recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.2725 per share, reflecting a yield of 3.0%, with an ex-dividend date set for September 10th.
• Despite a miss on earnings estimates with a reported EPS of $0.32, PPL's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% year-over-year, totaling $2.03 billion.

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 104.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 972,889 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 496,769 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd owned approximately 0.13% of PPL worth $35,131,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PPL. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in PPL by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 14,450 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $469,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in PPL by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 12,930 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in PPL by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,476 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in PPL during the fourth quarter worth about $174,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in PPL by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 38,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 2,317 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Stock Performance

PPL traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $36.06. The company had a trading volume of 931,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,550,985. 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 stock has a market cap of $26.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.65. PPL Corporation has a 12-month low of $31.22 and a 12-month high of $37.38. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $35.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.16.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last released its 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). The company had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.99 billion. PPL had a net margin of 11.22% and a return on equity of 8.81%. The firm's revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. PPL has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.750-1.870 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that PPL Corporation will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th will be paid 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 is Wednesday, September 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio is presently 81.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PPL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of PPL in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, PPL has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $36.70.

Insider Activity at PPL

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 45,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,633,781.60. This represents a 4.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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.