Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Purchases 15,576 Shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 110,824 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 15,576 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in PPL were worth $3,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its position in shares of PPL by 1.7% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 17,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $585,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC increased its position in shares of PPL by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 79,887 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,209,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of PPL by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 2,611 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of PPL by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 11,250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in PPL by 3.1% during the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PPL opened at $35.00 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $32.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.83 billion, a PE ratio of 31.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.81. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $25.35 and a fifty-two week high of $35.14.

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

PPL Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $0.2575 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on PPL shares. Barclays increased their price target on PPL from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America boosted 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. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on PPL in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on PPL from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PPL currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,434 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $427,107.90. The trade was a 42.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

PPL Company 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.