Silver Oak Securities Incorporated Buys Shares of 6,345 PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL)

Silver Oak Securities Incorporated purchased a new stake in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 6,345 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its holdings in PPL by 1.7% in the third quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 17,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $585,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. raised its position in shares of PPL by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 78,296 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,480,000 after buying an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC lifted its stake in shares of PPL by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 37,622 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,230,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. 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. Finally, Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY increased its stake in shares of PPL by 2.4% during the third quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 14,848 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $491,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PPL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on PPL in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on PPL from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of PPL from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, 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 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Insider Transactions at PPL

In related news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 9,161 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.35, for a total transaction of $314,680.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,434 shares in the company, valued at approximately $427,107.90. This trade represents a 42.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Tadd J. Henninger sold 6,639 shares of the company’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 owns 11,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $360,513.60. This represents a 37.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 19,794 shares of company stock valued at $661,338 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

PPL Stock Up 0.0 %

PPL stock opened at $34.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.83. PPL Co. has a 52-week low of $25.35 and a 52-week high of $35.15. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.42.

PPL Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 10th were issued a $0.2575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 10th. This represents a $1.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. PPL’s payout ratio is currently 91.97%.

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.