Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK – Free Report) by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 578,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 19,295 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Duke Energy worth $66,671,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Transactions at Duke Energy
In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.
Duke Energy Stock Up 0.1 %
Shares of DUK traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $120.76. 3,562,383 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,055,297. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $85.79 and a 1 year high of $120.85. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $115.00 and its 200-day moving average is $106.74.
Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.
Duke Energy Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.03%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.
Duke Energy Profile
Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.