PPL (NYSE:PPL) Reaches New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• PPL shares hit a new 52-week low of $33.15, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, amid a modest 0.4% decline.
• Despite the stock weakness, analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $40.31, implying potential upside from current levels.
• PPL’s latest quarterly results slightly missed expectations, with EPS of $0.33 versus $0.34 expected and revenue of $2.11 billion versus $2.19 billion forecast; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.285, yielding about 3.4% annually.

PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $33.15 and last traded at $33.2050, with a volume of 390246 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.34.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of PPL in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Evercore set a $42.00 price target on PPL in a report on Monday, August 17th. Mizuho upgraded PPL to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 3rd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of PPL from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, PPL currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $40.31.

PPL Stock Down 0.4%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $35.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.57.

PPL (NYSE:PPL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.01). PPL had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 9.33%. The business had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.32 EPS. PPL's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. PPL has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-1.980 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that PPL Corporation will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be issued a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 10th. PPL's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kristen Robinson sold 37,107 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.05, for a total value of $929,530.35. Following the sale, the director directly owned 222,897 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,583,569.85. This represents a 14.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Ashley Johnson sold 34,993 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.08, for a total transaction of $772,645.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 561,482 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,397,522.56. This trade represents a 5.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PPL

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of PPL in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,521,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in PPL during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,893,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in PPL by 10.4% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,335,060 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,651,000 after buying an additional 126,179 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in PPL during the second quarter worth $5,328,000. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in PPL during the second quarter worth $5,111,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company's stock.

About PPL

PPL Corporation NYSE: PPL is an energy and utility holding company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Through its regulated utility subsidiaries, the company delivers electricity and natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers, while also operating and maintaining generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure.

PPL's Pennsylvania operations are conducted through PPL Electric Utilities, which provides electric delivery service across much of central and eastern Pennsylvania.

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