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PPL (PPL) Stock Moves 0.66%: What You Should Know

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In the latest trading session, PPL (PPL - Free Report) closed at $28.83, marking a +0.66% move from the previous day. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.29%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 1.92%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the energy and utility holding company had gained 7.03% over the past month. This has lagged the Utilities sector's gain of 9.29% and outpaced the S&P 500's gain of 6.51% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from PPL as it approaches its next earnings release. On that day, PPL is projected to report earnings of $0.41 per share, which would represent no growth from the year-ago period. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $1.86 billion, up 4.64% from the prior-year quarter.

For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $1.59 per share and revenue of $7.3 billion, which would represent changes of +12.77% and -7.62%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for PPL. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.16% lower. PPL is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that PPL has a Forward P/E ratio of 17.98 right now. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 17.82, so we one might conclude that PPL is trading at a premium comparatively.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 145, putting it in the bottom 43% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow PPL in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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