In the latest market close, PPL (PPL) reached $36.25, with a +0.03% movement compared to the previous day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 2.03%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 1.23%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 2.74%.
The the stock of energy and utility holding company has risen by 4.74% in the past month, leading the Utilities sector's gain of 1.72% and the S&P 500's loss of 5.07%.
The upcoming earnings release of PPL will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on April 30, 2025. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $0.55, indicating a 1.85% growth compared to the equivalent quarter last year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $2.38 billion, indicating a 3.4% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $1.82 per share and a revenue of $8.52 billion, representing changes of +7.69% and +0.71%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for PPL. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the company's business health and profitability.
Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. 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 varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.27% downward. PPL is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Digging into valuation, PPL currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 19.93. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 18.31, which means PPL is trading at a premium to the group.
It's also important to note that PPL currently trades at a PEG ratio of 2.69. 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 currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.72 as of yesterday's close.
The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 34, placing it within the top 14% of over 250 industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
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PPL Corporation (PPL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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