PPL (NYSE:PPL) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

21 Mar 2025, 04:18 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

PPL (NYSE:PPL – Free Report) had its target price increased by Morgan Stanley from $35.00 to $38.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

PPL has been the topic of several other reports. Citigroup upgraded PPL from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of PPL in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, PPL currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.20.

Read Our Latest Research Report on PPL

PPL Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PPL opened at $35.00 on Thursday. PPL has a fifty-two week low of $25.93 and a fifty-two week high of $35.91. The company’s 50-day moving average is $33.93 and its 200 day moving average is $33.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $25.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.76.

PPL (NYSE:PPL – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.03). PPL had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 8.88%. The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that PPL will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.2725 dividend. This represents a $1.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.08%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Christine M. Martin sold 1,146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.78, for a total transaction of $39,857.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 37,167 shares in the company, valued at $1,292,668.26. The trade was a 2.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO David J. Bonenberger sold 981 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,140 shares of company stock worth $173,005 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PPL

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PPL. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of PPL during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new stake in PPL during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in PPL during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 1,092.2% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,216 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of PPL by 84.5% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

PPL Company Profile

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