PPL Earnings Preview: Revenue Expected to Rise

PPL PPL releases its next round of earnings this Friday, August 5, 2011. Here is Benzinga's everything-that-matters guide for this Friday's second quarter earnings announcement.

Earnings and Revenue:

Wall Street expects an EPS of 44 cents/share and revenues of $2.26 billion. Investors will be keen to see how this quarter's numbers stack up against the year-ago quarter's positive EPS of 62 cents/share on revenues of $1.5 billion. We'll have to wait for Friday to see if PPL reports a decline in EPS and a boost in revenue from the year-ago quarter, as analysts are predicting.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Stock Performance:

At last check, shares of PPL were trading at $28.02. Shares are up 9.3% year to date. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 5.4%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

• Long-term shareholders are already enjoying 12-month gains prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for PPL is a Hold. Over the past three months this rating's strength has declined slightly.

Competitors:

Want to check out the performance of PPL closest competitors? Take a look at some of the company's peers in the utilities sector.

• American Electric Power Company AEP: Hold with a $0.73 recent quarter EPS
• AES AES: Strong Buy with a $0.29 recent quarter EPS
• Constellation Energy Group CEG: Hold with a $0.63 recent quarter EPS
• Duke Energy DUK: Moderate Sell with a $0.39 recent quarter EPS

The utility-electric power company's industry has seen price/earnings growth of 22.1% during the current fiscal year.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: PPL is an energy and utility holding company that generates and markets electricity in the northeastern and western U.S.

Take Action:

That's your advanced look at PPL's upcoming earnings numbers -- be ready to take quick action if the company's report contains any surprises. Also, check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap and what-to-do-next guide.

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