XML Financial LLC Makes New Investment in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

XML Financial LLC acquired a new stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 7,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $240,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in PPL. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in PPL by 91.3% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 5,821,936 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $160,977,000 after purchasing an additional 2,778,820 shares in the last quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 71.3% during the second quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,306,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $119,061,000 after buying an additional 1,792,200 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in PPL by 50.3% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,701,515 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $129,433,000 after acquiring an additional 1,572,771 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. purchased a new stake in PPL in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,713,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in PPL by 5,390.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 563,015 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $18,625,000 after acquiring an additional 552,760 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE PPL opened at $33.47 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $32.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.25. PPL Co. has a fifty-two week low of $24.93 and a fifty-two week high of $33.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $24.70 billion, a PE ratio of 29.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.81.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.10 billion. PPL had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 9.95%. PPL’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 10th were paid a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PPL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on PPL in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PPL has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.50.

About PPL

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.