PPL (PPL) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

PPL (NYSE:PPL) is expected to post its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, February 13th. Analysts expect PPL to post earnings of $0.37 per share and revenue of $2.51 billion for the quarter. Persons interested in listening to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

PPL Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE PPL opened at $34.53 on Wednesday. PPL has a 12-month low of $25.60 and a 12-month high of $35.15. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $32.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $32.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.48 billion, a PE ratio of 30.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.

PPL Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were given a dividend of $0.2575 per share. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. PPL’s payout ratio is currently 91.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $47,675.52. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $376,951.32. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,794 shares of company stock valued at $661,338 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on PPL in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

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.