Good Life Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Good Life Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 16.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,215 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,112 shares during the quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $494,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its stake in PPL by 195.5% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of PPL during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its holdings in PPL by 1,092.2% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in PPL in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:PPL opened at $34.17 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.68. PPL Co. has a one year low of $25.87 and a one year high of $35.15. The firm has a market cap of $25.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.86.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. Equities analysts anticipate that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.2725 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on PPL. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup upped their price objective on PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at PPL

In related news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total transaction of $52,627.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $359,186.40. This represents a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 shares of PPL stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $47,675.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,259 shares in the company, valued at $376,951.32. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,633 shares of company stock worth $346,657 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

PPL 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.