Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Summit Trail Advisors LLC

Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 39.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,606 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,156 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.1% during the second quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,425 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Sachetta LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,093 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $611,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 2.7% during the second quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 3,753 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 4.9% during the second quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 2,147 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on DUK. Bank of America boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $116.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK opened at $116.37 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $112.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.81 billion, a PE ratio of 29.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $83.06 and a 52 week high of $118.31.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.