PPL (NYSE:PPL) PT Raised to $28.00

PPL (NYSE:PPL) had its price target lifted by Barclays from $27.00 to $28.00 in a research report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued an outperform rating and issued a $52.00 price objective on shares of PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 20th. TheStreet cut shares of PPL from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of PPL in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of PPL from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, February 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of PPL from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, PPL currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $32.20.

PPL Stock Performance

PPL stock traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $26.90. 6,137,087 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,302,516. PPL has a 12 month low of $22.20 and a 12 month high of $29.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The business has a 50 day moving average of $26.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.78.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.02. PPL had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 8.45%. The business had revenue of $2.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that PPL will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th will be paid a $0.2575 dividend. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 7th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of PPL in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. West Tower Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of PPL during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. 73.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.