PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) Position Boosted by Portfolio Design Labs LLC

Portfolio Design Labs LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 47.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 102,987 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,088 shares during the period. Portfolio Design Labs LLC’s holdings in PPL were worth $3,343,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of PPL during the fourth quarter worth about $600,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in PPL by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 17,199 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $558,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in PPL in the fourth quarter worth about $98,000. Finally, Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY lifted its holdings in PPL by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY now owns 291,748 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,470,000 after acquiring an additional 9,525 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PPL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total transaction of $314,680.35. Following the sale, the insider now owns 12,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $427,107.90. The trade was a 42.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total value of $213,510.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,513.60. The trade was a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,794 shares of company stock valued at $661,338 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Performance

PPL opened at $34.53 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $32.83 and its 200-day moving average is $32.48. The stock has a market cap of $25.48 billion, a PE ratio of 30.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. PPL Co. has a twelve month low of $25.60 and a twelve month high of $35.15.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were paid a dividend of $0.2575 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.97%.

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.