PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Stake Lifted by Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC

Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC increased its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,997,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 124,275 shares during the quarter. PPL comprises approximately 1.1% of Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC owned 0.27% of PPL worth $64,842,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in PPL by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 12,530 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of PPL by 1.7% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 17,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $585,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of PPL by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of PPL by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 78,296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,480,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC grew its stake in shares of PPL by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 37,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PPL Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE PPL opened at $34.72 on Wednesday. PPL Co. has a 12 month low of $25.93 and a 12 month high of $35.91. The company has a market cap of $25.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $33.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.95.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.03). PPL had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. The company had revenue of $2.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.83 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.2725 per share. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. This is a positive change from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. PPL’s payout ratio is presently 90.08%.

Insider Activity at PPL

In related news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $32,843.88. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 45,414 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,520,460.72. The trade was a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total value of $39,857.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 37,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,292,668.26. The trade was a 2.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,779 shares of company stock valued at $386,515. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PPL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays increased their price target on PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Four investment 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, PPL presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.27.

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.