Back to top

Image: Bigstock

PPL (PPL) Stock Slides as Market Rises: Facts to Know Before You Trade

Read MoreHide Full Article

In the latest close session, PPL (PPL - Free Report) was down 1.32% at $34.29. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.88%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.38%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 1.31%.

Shares of the energy and utility holding company witnessed a loss of 2.22% over the previous month, beating the performance of the Utilities sector with its loss of 3.75%, and underperforming the S&P 500's gain of 2.48%.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of PPL in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.41, up 20.59% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $2.34 billion, up 5.69% from the year-ago period.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $1.81 per share and a revenue of $8.73 billion, representing changes of +7.1% and +3.13%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for PPL. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional 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, there's been a 0.11% rise in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Right now, PPL possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Investors should also note PPL's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 19.16. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 18.66 for its industry.

Meanwhile, PPL's PEG ratio is currently 2.61. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Utility - Electric Power industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.71 as trading concluded yesterday.

The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 75, positioning it in the top 31% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


PPL Corporation (PPL) - free report >>

Published in