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

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

PPL Stock Performance

Shares of PPL stock traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $33.76. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,404,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,134,931. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.29. PPL has a one year low of $25.87 and a one year high of $35.15. The stock has a market cap of $24.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83.

PPL Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.2725 dividend. This is an increase from PPL’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.97%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on PPL shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of PPL in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $37.00 price target for the company. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of PPL from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.00.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In related news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 1,589 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.12, for a total value of $52,627.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 10,845 shares in the company, valued at $359,186.40. This trade represents a 12.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 1,424 shares of PPL stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.48, for a total transaction of $47,675.52. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $376,951.32. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 19,794 shares of company stock worth $661,338. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.