55,895 Shares in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Purchased by MBB Public Markets I LLC

MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 55,895 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,602,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.2% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 435,157 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,084,000 after acquiring an additional 13,406 shares in the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 27,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,618,000 after purchasing an additional 9,917 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 63.8% in the 1st quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 44,710 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,324,000 after purchasing an additional 17,420 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $254,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 9.4% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 108,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,520,000 after buying an additional 9,334 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $115.94 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $113.50 and a 200 day moving average of $104.58. The company has a market cap of $89.48 billion, a PE ratio of 29.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $118.31. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $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, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. 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 payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $117.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. 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 a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $116.79.

Duke Energy Company 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.