PPL(US:PPL) ZACKSยท2025-07-15 14:00Group 1: Company Strategy and Investments - PPL Corporation is heavily investing in grid modernization and transmission infrastructure to enhance energy delivery and meet rising demand, particularly from data centers [1][8] - The company is focusing on strategic investments in Pennsylvania and Kentucky to leverage the expected growth in the data center market, with nearly 11 gigawatts of potential demand in Pennsylvania, leading to a projected capital investment of $700-$850 million [2][8] - PPL plans a regulated capital investment of $20 billion from 2025 to 2028, with specific investments of $4.3 billion in 2025 and $5.2 billion in 2026, targeting an average annual rate base growth of 9.8% during this period [4][8] Group 2: Financial Performance and Earnings Estimates - PPL's capital investments are expected to significantly boost earnings per share (EPS) growth, with Zacks Consensus Estimates indicating increases of 7.69% for 2025 and 7.97% for 2026 [3][7] - The current Zacks Consensus Estimate for EPS in 2025 is $1.82, with a projected increase to $1.97 in 2026, reflecting a year-over-year growth estimate of 7.69% and 7.97% respectively [9] Group 3: Market Position and Stock Performance - PPL is trading at a premium compared to the industry, with a forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 18.32X, while the industry average is 14.63X [10] - Over the past year, PPL's stock has increased by 24.3%, outperforming the industry growth of 16.4% [12]