Czech National Bank Buys 9,501 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 5.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 169,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,501 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in PPL were worth $6,121,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PPL. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in PPL by 2.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of PPL by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC raised its stake in shares of PPL by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 37,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,230,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of PPL by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 11,272 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at PPL

In other news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 1,767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.98, for a total transaction of $61,809.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 45,485 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,591,065.30. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Performance

NYSE PPL opened at $34.72 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.17. PPL Co. has a 12-month low of $27.24 and a 12-month high of $36.70. 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 company has a market cap of $25.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.70.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.15 billion. PPL had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.54 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 10th will be paid a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PPL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PPL from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of PPL from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $36.90.

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.