Signaturefd LLC Has $192,000 Position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,930 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 350 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PPL. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its position in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in PPL by 84.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares in the last quarter. Newton One Investments LLC bought a new stake in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in PPL by 69.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,072 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 846 shares in the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PPL Stock Down 0.6 %

PPL opened at $34.78 on Friday. PPL Co. has a 1-year low of $25.93 and a 1-year high of $35.91. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $33.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $25.67 billion, a PE ratio of 28.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). PPL had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. The business had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This is a boost from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is 90.08%.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other PPL news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total value of $52,627.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $359,186.40. This represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 value of $47,675.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $376,951.32. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,140 shares of company stock worth $173,005. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PPL has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup upgraded PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on PPL from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.27.

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.