PPL Corp Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (PPL)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- PPL (NYSE:PPL) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A- . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, notable return on equity, compelling growth in net income, impressive record of earnings per share growth and increase in stock price during the past year. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had generally high debt management risk by most measures that we evaluated.

• ACTIVE STOCK TRADERS: Get trading ideas for stocks under $10 for less than $6/week. Start with a 14-Day Free Trial.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• PPL's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 1.6%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 2.4%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Electric Utilities industry and the overall market, PPL CORP's return on equity exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Electric Utilities industry. The net income increased by 38.3% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $196.00 million to $271.00 million.
• PPL CORP has improved earnings per share by 34.3% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. However, we anticipate underperformance relative to this pattern in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, PPL CORP increased its bottom line by earning $2.71 versus $2.15 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 13.5% in earnings ($2.34 versus $2.71).
• In its most recent trading session, PPL has closed at a price level that was not very different from its closing price of one year earlier. This is probably due to its weak earnings growth as well as other mixed factors. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year.

PPL Corporation, an energy and utility holding company, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity to wholesale and retail customers in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company has a P/E ratio of 9.9, equal to the average utilities industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. PPL has a market cap of $17.02 billion and is part of the utilities sector and utilities industry. Shares are up 0.2% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

You can view the full PPL Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

FREE from Real Money's Jim Cramer: Winners and Losers Election 2012 - Steps to take NOW so you can profit no matter who is in charge! Free Download Now

For more information on PPL Corp click any of the following:

• PPL Corp Stock Price

• PPL Corp Analyst Ratings

• PPL Corp Key Stats & Profile

• PPL Corp Earnings

• PPL Corp Ratio Comparison

• PPL Corp Growth Rates

• PPL Corp Balance Sheet

• PPL Corp Cash Flow

• PPL Corp Income Statement