Gotham Asset Management LLC Sells 44,583 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Gotham Asset Management LLC lessened its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL - Free Report) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 382,208 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 44,583 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of PPL worth $12,406,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of PPL by 8,266.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,518,141 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $309,060,000 after acquiring an additional 9,404,382 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in PPL in the 4th quarter worth about $228,509,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter valued at about $147,480,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of PPL by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 27,465,566 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $891,532,000 after buying an additional 3,380,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in PPL by 182.2% in the fourth quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 3,951,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $128,254,000 after acquiring an additional 2,551,070 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company's stock.

PPL Price Performance

PPL stock traded up $0.90 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $34.42. 6,865,550 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,935,880. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $25.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.45, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.98. PPL Co. has a 1-year low of $27.24 and a 1-year high of $36.70.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 last year, the company posted $0.54 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that PPL Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other PPL news, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total transaction of $39,857.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 37,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,292,668.26. The trade was a 2.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup upgraded PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group increased their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised PPL from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $36.90.

PPL Company 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.