First National Trust Co Has $2.12 Million Holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

First National Trust Co grew its position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 64,176 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in PPL were worth $2,123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised 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 last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of PPL in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new position in shares of PPL in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of PPL during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in PPL during the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Performance

Shares of PPL stock opened at $33.25 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $32.43 and a 200-day moving average of $30.30. PPL Co. has a one year low of $24.93 and a one year high of $33.58. The company has a market cap of $24.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.81.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.42. PPL had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that PPL Co. will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were paid a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America increased their price target on PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of PPL from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on PPL in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.50.

About PPL

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.