NewSquare Capital LLC Grows Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 5.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,322 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,278 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,071,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 74,562,000 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $9,094,327,000 after purchasing an additional 1,676,061 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 17,880.0% in the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 10,249,508 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,250,133,000 after buying an additional 10,192,503 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Duke Energy by 4.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,921,517 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,088,158,000 after buying an additional 418,014 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1.1% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,656,244 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,055,087,000 after buying an additional 93,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1.9% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 8,153,615 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $994,496,000 after buying an additional 152,542 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $123.76 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.44. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week high of $130.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $123.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.29 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $7.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.18 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at $5,768,397.72. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on DUK. Barclays raised their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $143.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Cowen assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.00.

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.