PPL (NYSE:PPL) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• PPL has been downgraded from a "hold" to a "sell" rating by Wall Street Zen, while Barclays has increased its rating to "strong-buy."
• The stock reported a quarterly earnings miss, with EPS of $0.32 compared to the consensus estimate of $0.37, despite a revenue increase of 7.7% year-over-year.
• Insider transactions indicate a 4.54% decrease in COO David J. Bonenberger's ownership after selling shares, highlighting potential concerns within the company's management.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report issued on Friday.

Several other research firms also recently commented on PPL. Barclays raised PPL from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of PPL in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $36.70.

PPL Trading Down 1.5%

PPL stock opened at $35.97 on Friday. PPL has a 52 week low of $31.22 and a 52 week high of $37.38. 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 capitalization of $26.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.84, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $35.12.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.32 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 business had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. PPL has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.750-1.870 EPS. Analysts expect that PPL will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.86, for a total transaction of $77,636.90. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 45,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,633,781.60. This represents a 4.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PPL

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PPL. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in PPL by 141.0% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 723 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in PPL by 94.3% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 818 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its stake in PPL by 8,350.0% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in PPL during the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its stake in PPL by 5,352.9% during the first quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 927 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by 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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