Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Holdings Raised by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 578,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,295 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $66,671,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 69.6% in the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 101.2% in the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $120.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $85.79 and a one year high of $120.85. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $115.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.74. The stock has a market cap of $93.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.34, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Duke Energy

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.