UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for PPL (NYSE:PPL) Stock

PPL (NYSE:PPL) had its price target boosted by stock analysts at UBS Group from $35.00 to $36.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. UBS Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 3.85% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.27.

PPL Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PPL traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $34.67. 1,363,386 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,438,227. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. PPL has a 1 year low of $25.93 and a 1 year high of $35.91. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.17. The stock has a market cap of $25.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.65, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of PPL stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 45,414 shares in the company, valued at $1,520,460.72. The trade was a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of PPL 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 transaction, the insider now owns 37,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,292,668.26. This represents a 2.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,140 shares of company stock worth $173,005 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP acquired a new position in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter worth approximately $816,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in PPL by 151.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 152,460 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,949,000 after acquiring an additional 91,711 shares during the last quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH acquired a new position in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at $941,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at $4,175,000. Finally, Yoffe Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at $328,000. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.