RKL Wealth Management LLC Increases Stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

RKL Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 203.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,913 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,348 shares during the period. RKL Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $646,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in PPL during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in PPL during the third quarter valued at $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its stake in PPL by 1,092.2% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in PPL by 139.2% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,512 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new position in PPL during the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Price Performance

PPL stock opened at $34.07 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $33.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.15 billion, a PE ratio of 28.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. PPL Co. has a 12-month low of $25.93 and a 12-month high of $35.91.

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

PPL Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.2725 per share. 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. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.27.

Insider Activity at PPL

In related news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total transaction of $213,510.24. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at $360,513.60. This trade represents a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $32,843.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 45,414 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,520,460.72. The trade was a 2.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,779 shares of company stock worth $386,515 in the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

PPL 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.