KCM Investment Advisors LLC Sells 3,556 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

KCM Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 87,930 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,556 shares during the quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $2,854,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in PPL. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of PPL by 8,266.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,518,141 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $309,060,000 after buying an additional 9,404,382 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in PPL in the fourth quarter worth about $228,509,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in PPL during the 4th quarter worth about $147,480,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in PPL by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,758,947 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,115,824,000 after purchasing an additional 3,731,412 shares during the period. Finally, Reaves W H & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PPL by 182.2% in the 4th quarter. Reaves W H & Co. Inc. now owns 3,951,116 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $128,254,000 after purchasing an additional 2,551,070 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Performance

Shares of PPL opened at $34.48 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $34.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.41. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $25.93 and a twelve month high of $36.64. The firm has a market cap of $25.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.50, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.65.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. The firm had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. On average, analysts forecast that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.2725 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is 90.08%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total value of $52,627.68. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $359,186.40. The trade was a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $47,675.52. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $376,951.32. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,140 shares of company stock worth $173,005 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group raised their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup upgraded PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.27.

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.