Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. reduced its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,709 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,966 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4,163.9% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 882,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $85,352,000 after purchasing an additional 861,854 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,515,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $799,599,000 after buying an additional 842,458 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,141,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,081,125,000 after acquiring an additional 509,039 shares in the last quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $41,874,000. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 96.1% during the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 789,612 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $76,529,000 after acquiring an additional 387,038 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK stock opened at $113.94 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $107.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.11. The firm has a market cap of $87.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $116.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were 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 approximately $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.