Private Advisor Group LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,308 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,810,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the second quarter worth $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 101.2% during 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 during the period. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,617.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. 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 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.85.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.5 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $117.21 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $86.61 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The firm has a market cap of $90.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.45, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.33.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.03%.

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.