Prospera Financial Services Inc Sells 2,961 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Prospera Financial Services Inc lessened its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 4.7% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 59,549 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,961 shares during the quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,030,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 4.8% in the first quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $166,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Souders Financial Advisors grew its position in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the first quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 12,443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,518,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Orca Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the first quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,539,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price objective on Duke Energy and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Cowen assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.00.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $123.64 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $123.97 and a 200-day moving average of $120.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $105.20 and a 12 month high of $130.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $8.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.51 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.62 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 69.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total transaction of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.