PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) COO Sells $32,843.88 in Stock

PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 45,414 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,520,460.72. This trade represents a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

PPL Price Performance

NYSE:PPL traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $32.81. 2,898,804 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,122,749. The company has a market capitalization of $24.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.83. PPL Co. has a 12 month low of $25.35 and a 12 month high of $35.15. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $32.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.42. PPL had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 9.95%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.2575 dividend. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. PPL’s payout ratio is 91.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.