PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Position Raised by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 60,749 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,474 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $2,010,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in PPL in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Redwood Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in PPL in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in PPL during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in PPL during the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of PPL in the first quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on PPL. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of PPL in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.40.

PPL Stock Down 3.1 %

Shares of PPL stock opened at $31.56 on Friday. PPL Co. has a 12-month low of $24.78 and a 12-month high of $33.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.28 billion, a PE ratio of 27.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $32.33 and its 200-day moving average is $30.04.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. PPL had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 9.26%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that PPL Co. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 10th were given a dividend of $0.2575 per share. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 10th. PPL’s payout ratio is 90.35%.

PPL 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.