Bill Few Associates Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Bill Few Associates Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,104 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,075 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc.’s holdings in PPL were worth $393,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its position in PPL by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 32,147 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,066,000 after buying an additional 562 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in PPL by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 442,744 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,371,000 after acquiring an additional 17,105 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new position in PPL in the 4th quarter valued at about $217,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in PPL by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,685 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in PPL during the 4th quarter valued at about $15,668,000. 76.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

PPL Price Performance

NYSE:PPL opened at $32.65 on Thursday. PPL Co. has a one year low of $25.35 and a one year high of $35.15. The company has a market cap of $24.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $33.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.10 billion. PPL had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. Equities analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is presently 91.97%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on PPL. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, PPL presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.00.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other PPL news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of PPL stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total transaction of $314,680.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,434 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total value of $213,510.24. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at $360,513.60. This trade represents a 37.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.