PPL (NYSE:PPL) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• PPL Corporation shares reached a new 52-week high of $37.66 during trading, with the last price noted at $37.51.
• Analysts have shown mixed opinions; while Evercore ISI and Barclays issued an "outperform" and "strong buy" ratings respectively, Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock to "sell."
• PPL recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.2725, translating to a 2.9% dividend yield, with a payout ratio of 81.34%.

PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $37.66 and last traded at $37.51, with a volume of 348168 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.15.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on PPL shares. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on PPL in a research note on Monday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of PPL in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Barclays upgraded shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of PPL from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $37.40.

PPL Trading Up 1.3%

The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $36.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.36. The firm has a market cap of $27.83 billion, a PE ratio of 28.02, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

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

PPL Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 10th were paid a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.86, for a total value of $77,636.90. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Old Port Advisors raised its stake in shares of PPL by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 31,948 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,187,000 after buying an additional 11,063 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in PPL by 15.7% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 26,816 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 3,629 shares during the period. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new position in PPL in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of PPL by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,590 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $461,000 after purchasing an additional 1,437 shares during the period. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its holdings in shares of PPL by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 249,204 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $8,446,000 after purchasing an additional 9,118 shares in the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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