Saudi Central Bank Boosts Stake in PPL Corporation $PPL

Saudi Central Bank increased its holdings in shares of PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL) by 92.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,652 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,347 shares during the quarter. Saudi Central Bank’s holdings in PPL were worth $1,914,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in PPL in the 2nd quarter worth about $151,000. NI Acquisitions Company LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PPL during the 2nd quarter valued at about $212,000. Syon Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of PPL by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 8,823 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of PPL by 14.1% in the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 24,968 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $908,000 after acquiring an additional 3,078 shares during the period. Finally, AXQ Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of PPL during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,737,000. 76.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In related news, CFO Ashley Johnson sold 34,993 shares of PPL stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.08, for a total transaction of $772,645.44. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 561,482 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,397,522.56. This trade represents a 5.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kristen Robinson sold 37,107 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.05, for a total value of $929,530.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 222,897 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,583,569.85. The trade was a 14.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Performance

NYSE:PPL opened at $35.09 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.41 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.57. PPL Corporation has a 52-week low of $33.17 and a 52-week high of $40.10.

PPL (NYSE:PPL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.01). PPL had a net margin of 13.47% and a return on equity of 9.33%. The company had revenue of $2.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.32 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. PPL has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900-1.980 EPS. Analysts forecast that PPL Corporation will post 1.94 EPS for the current year.

PPL Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 10th will be given a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 10th. PPL’s payout ratio is presently 67.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of PPL from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of PPL from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on PPL from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Mizuho upgraded PPL to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on PPL from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $41.00.

PPL Company Profile

PPL Corporation is an energy company that owns and operates electric transmission and distribution infrastructure and provides related customer services. The company’s core business centers on delivering electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers through regulated utility operations, maintaining grid reliability, responding to outages and managing customer billing and account services.

PPL’s activities include construction and maintenance of distribution and transmission lines, meter and grid management, and programs to support energy efficiency and the interconnection of distributed resources.