Atria Investments Inc Acquires New Position in PPL Co. as Dividend Increases

On April 21, 2023, Atria Investments Inc made headlines with its most recent acquisition of a new position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL). According to the company’s latest 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the investment firm acquired over 40,000 shares of PPL stock during the fourth quarter. These shares are valued at approximately $1,177,000.

This news comes shortly after PPL declared its quarterly dividend on Monday, April 3rd. Investors who were recorded as of Friday March 10th were issued a $0.24 dividend; this is an increase from the company’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 9th. PPL’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) currently stands at 93.20%, offering investors a solid return on their investments.

Despite this positive news, insider John R. Crockett III sold over 5,500 shares of PPL stock in a transaction that took place on Wednesday, April 5th. The average sale price was $28 per share, resulting in an overall transaction value of $154,000. Following the sale, Crockett now owns just under 9,200 shares in PPL valued at approximately $256,508.

While this latest development may seem concerning to some investors, it should be noted that insiders own only .17% of PPL’s outstanding stock- indicating that one insider sale is unlikely to cause any significant financial damages to the company or disrupt profits for other investors.

Overall, these recent developments suggest that both Atria Investments Inc and PPL Co.’s shareholders can look forward to promising returns on their investments moving forward due to stable dividends and strong potential for future growth within the utilities sector.

As always when dealing with securities trading different risks exist for each investor and therefore advice should be sought from a professional prior to executing any trades, purchases or sales.

PPL Holdings Undergoes Significant Change in Investor Holdings and Mixed Equity Analyst Opinions

PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL) has recently undergone significant changes in its holdings as stated by various investiture firms. Institutional investors and hedge funds now own 70.02% of the stock, with CI Investments Inc. increasing its stake by 989.9% during the third quarter of 2022 for a holding worth $25,000. In addition to this, MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000, while Gradient Investments LLC raised their holdings by 56.3% during the third quarter for a holding valued at $31,000.

Equity research analysts have had mixed opinions on PPL with TheStreet downgrading the company’s rating from “b” to “c+” but StockNews.com giving it a “hold” rating in March this year. Barclays rated the company as equal weight while other research houses have given it buy ratings such as Morgan Stanley who raised their price object to $32 from $29 and gave it an “overweight” rating.

PPL was able to increase its quarterly dividend payout from $0.23 to $0.24 per share in April this year which represented an annualized dividend payout of $0.96 and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 9th and investors of record on Friday, March 10th were paid accordingly.

On Friday last week, PPL opened at $28.60 with a market capitalization of $21.07 billion and a beta of 0.77 alongside a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.77.The firm’s recent earnings showed that they achieved their consensus estimate after reporting earnings per share (EPS) of amounting to $0.28 for Q1 in February compared to predictions of stability at the rate stated.

Overall three equities research analysts who have rated PPL now have put a hold rating on the company, while seven analysts gave it a ‘buy’ rating, with Bloomberg stating that the consensus price target for the company is currently at $31.00.