PPL (NYSE:PPL) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.03 EPS

PPL (NYSE:PPL) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03), Zacks reports. PPL had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 9.20%. PPL updated its FY 2025 guidance to 1.750-1.870 EPS.

PPL Price Performance

PPL stock traded down $0.14 during trading on Thursday, hitting $34.39. The stock had a trading volume of 7,092,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,327,544. The stock has a market cap of $25.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $32.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.53. PPL has a 1-year low of $25.87 and a 1-year high of $35.15.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.2575 per share. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. PPL’s payout ratio is currently 91.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total transaction of $213,510.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at $360,513.60. This trade represents a 37.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of PPL stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $32,843.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,414 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,520,460.72. This represents a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,794 shares of company stock valued at $661,338 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PPL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays reduced their price target on PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

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.