PPL (NYSE:PPL) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.03 EPS

PPL (NYSE:PPL) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03), Zacks reports. PPL had a net margin of 9.95% and a return on equity of 9.20%. PPL updated its FY 2025 guidance to 1.750-1.870 EPS.

PPL Stock Performance

PPL stock traded down $0.16 during trading on Thursday, reaching $34.37. 6,785,693 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,311,571. PPL has a 1-year low of $25.87 and a 1-year high of $35.15. The firm has a market cap of $25.36 billion, a PE ratio of 30.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $32.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.53. 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 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 given a $0.2575 dividend. This represents a $1.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.97%.

Insider Activity at PPL

In other news, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total value of $32,843.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 45,414 shares in the company, valued at $1,520,460.72. This represents a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $427,107.90. This trade represents a 42.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 19,794 shares of company stock worth $661,338 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PPL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays dropped 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. initiated coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.00.

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.