Kentucky Trust Co Makes New Investment in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $32,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PPL. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,797 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 78,296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,480,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 37,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 36,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,201,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PPL Stock Performance

Shares of PPL opened at $34.52 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $25.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.82, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day moving average of $32.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $32.52. PPL Co. has a 12-month low of $25.60 and a 12-month high of $35.15.

PPL Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PPL has been the topic of several analyst reports. 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 lowered 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. Barclays lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of PPL in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective 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. Four equities research 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $32,843.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 45,414 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,520,460.72. The trade was a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $32.16, for a total transaction of $213,510.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $360,513.60. This represents a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 19,794 shares of company stock worth $661,338. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.