XML Financial LLC Sells 458 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

XML Financial LLC lessened its stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,790 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 458 shares during the period. XML Financial LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in PPL by 195.5% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 516 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its stake in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in PPL by 139.2% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 880 shares during the period. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in PPL by 5,759.3% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,582 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on PPL shares. Citigroup increased their price target on PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PPL presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

PPL Price Performance

NYSE:PPL opened at $32.75 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $33.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.99. 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 company has a market cap of $24.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.83. PPL Co. has a one year low of $25.35 and a one year high of $35.15.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at PPL

In other news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of PPL stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,513.60. The trade was a 37.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total value of $314,680.35. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,434 shares in the company, valued at $427,107.90. This represents a 42.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.