PPL (NYSE:PPL) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at BTIG Research

PPL (NYSE:PPL) was upgraded by analysts at BTIG Research to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on PPL. Wall Street Zen lowered PPL from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $41.00 price target on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of PPL from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of PPL from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $40.18.

PPL Price Performance

PPL stock opened at $37.75 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $36.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.59. PPL has a 1 year low of $31.22 and a 1 year high of $38.26.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $2.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.99 billion. PPL had a net margin of 11.22% and a return on equity of 8.81%. PPL’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.38 EPS. PPL has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.750-1.870 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that PPL will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In other PPL news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 2,165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.86, for a total transaction of $77,636.90. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 45,560 shares in the company, valued at $1,633,781.60. This represents a 4.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PPL

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PPL. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its position in PPL by 141.0% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 723 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in shares of PPL by 94.3% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 818 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new position in shares of PPL in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of PPL by 8,350.0% in the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 835 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of PPL in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.