Field & Main Bank Increases Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Field & Main Bank raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,720 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Field & Main Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $890,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 101.2% in the 1st quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of several research reports. 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 report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.85.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $113.23 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $86.61 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $87.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.85, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s 50 day moving average is $115.84 and its 200 day moving average is $108.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.98%.

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.