Inceptionr LLC Buys New Stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 39,327 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,277,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kentucky Trust Co bought a new stake in PPL during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in PPL during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its stake in PPL by 1,092.2% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Newton One Investments LLC bought a new stake in PPL during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in PPL by 139.2% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PPL Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE PPL opened at $34.57 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $33.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.96. PPL Co. has a fifty-two week low of $25.93 and a fifty-two week high of $35.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

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

PPL Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.2725 dividend. This is a positive change from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.08%.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other PPL news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total value of $52,627.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $359,186.40. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $32,843.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 45,414 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,520,460.72. This trade represents a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,779 shares of company stock worth $386,515 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.27.

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.