Cetera Investment Advisers Boosts Stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 179,808 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,940 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in PPL were worth $5,837,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PPL by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 12,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The increased its position in PPL by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 28,002 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $909,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in PPL by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. increased its position in PPL by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 78,296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,480,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the period. Finally, Choreo LLC increased its position in PPL by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 37,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In related news, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total value of $39,857.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 37,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,292,668.26. This represents a 2.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Performance

NYSE PPL opened at $33.87 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The business’s 50 day moving average is $35.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.98. PPL Co. has a 12-month low of $27.24 and a 12-month high of $36.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.99, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.70.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.15 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 10.49%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.54 EPS. Research analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.2725 per share. This is a positive change from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 10th. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. PPL’s payout ratio is 80.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on PPL. StockNews.com upgraded PPL from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup upgraded PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on PPL from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $36.90.

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.