PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL) Receives Consensus Rating of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• PPL Corporation has received an average consensus rating of "Buy" from ten research firms, with a target price of $36.70.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings miss with earnings per share of $0.32, below the $0.37 expectation, yet achieved revenue growth of 7.7% year-over-year.
• PPL announced a quarterly dividend of $0.2725, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 3.0%.

PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Buy" from the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $36.70.

Several research firms have issued reports on PPL. Barclays raised 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 PPL from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th.

PPL Stock Up 0.5%

PPL stock opened at $35.97 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $26.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.65. PPL has a 52 week low of $31.22 and a 52 week high of $37.38. The business's 50-day moving average price is $35.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.99 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 8.81% and a net margin of 11.22%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.38 EPS. PPL has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.750-1.870 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that PPL will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. PPL's payout ratio is presently 81.34%.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of PPL stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was 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 directly owned 45,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,633,781.60. This trade represents a 4.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of PPL

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PPL by 141.0% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 723 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in PPL by 8,350.0% in the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in PPL in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC increased its position in PPL by 5,352.9% in the 1st quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 927 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares during the period. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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