Roble Belko & Company Inc Sells 954 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Roble Belko & Company Inc decreased its position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 32.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,954 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 954 shares during the quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc’s holdings in PPL were worth $63,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of PPL by 195.5% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 780 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in PPL in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its holdings in PPL by 1,092.2% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PPL by 5,759.3% in the third quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,582 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 1,555 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE PPL opened at $32.09 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. PPL Co. has a 52 week low of $25.35 and a 52 week high of $35.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.65, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $33.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.78.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42. The firm 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%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that PPL Co. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. PPL’s payout ratio is 91.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PPL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on PPL in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upgraded PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PPL news, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the company’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 represents a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total value of $314,680.35. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.