PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Shares Bought by Ninepoint Partners LP

Ninepoint Partners LP boosted its position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,168 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,436 shares during the period. Ninepoint Partners LP’s holdings in PPL were worth $1,239,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 73,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,396,000 after buying an additional 5,410 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 690,442 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $22,412,000 after buying an additional 58,995 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 11,272 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $366,000 after buying an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 74,158 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,407,000 after buying an additional 4,272 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Essential Planning LLC. acquired a new position in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter valued at $664,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of PPL stock opened at $34.95 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.88, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.86. PPL Co. has a one year low of $25.93 and a one year high of $35.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $33.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.09.

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

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PPL. Citigroup upgraded shares of PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PPL presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.70.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total value of $213,510.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at $360,513.60. This trade represents a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total transaction of $52,627.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $359,186.40. This represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,779 shares of company stock worth $386,515 in the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.