Plan Group Financial LLC Has $879,000 Stock Holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Plan Group Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 12.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,578 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,982 shares during the period. Plan Group Financial LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new position in PPL during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in PPL during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new position in PPL during the second quarter valued at $38,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in PPL during the second quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in PPL during the first quarter valued at $42,000. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PPL Price Performance

NYSE PPL opened at $32.68 on Wednesday. PPL Co. has a twelve month low of $23.36 and a twelve month high of $33.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.11 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.74.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.33 by $0.05. PPL had a return on equity of 9.26% and a net margin of 10.17%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that PPL Co. will post 1.72 EPS for the current year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were issued a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on PPL. Barclays boosted their target price on PPL from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on PPL in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on PPL from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.22.

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.