Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Bought by Breakwater Capital Group

Breakwater Capital Group lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 109 shares during the quarter. Breakwater Capital Group’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $100.23 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $77.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.78. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $83.06 and a 1 year high of $104.87. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The company had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.20 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.09%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 103.02%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total value of $1,027,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,057,253.03. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total transaction of $1,027,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,057,253.03. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Barclays raised their price target on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.33.

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.