In the latest trading session, PPL (PPL) closed at $35.74, marking a +1.65% move from the previous day. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 2.65%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 1.35%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 4.18%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the energy and utility holding company had lost 4.38% was narrower than the Utilities sector's loss of 4.57% and lagged the S&P 500's gain of 5.47%.
The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of PPL in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $0.35, indicating a 9.38% growth compared to the equivalent quarter last year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $2.15 billion, up 6.19% from the prior-year quarter.
Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $1.95 per share and revenue of $9.57 billion. These totals would mark changes of +7.73% and +5.81%, respectively, from last year.
Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts 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 business outlook.
Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.
Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained unchanged. Right now, PPL possesses a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).
With respect to valuation, PPL is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 18.05. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 17.88.
We can also see that PPL currently has a PEG ratio of 2.4. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Utility - Electric Power industry held an average PEG ratio of 2.59.
The Utility - Electric Power industry is part of the Utilities sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 152, this industry ranks in the bottom 38% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these 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.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).