Bank & Trust Co Has $2.73 Million Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Bank & Trust Co lowered its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 23,674 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 105 shares during the period. Duke Energy accounts for 2.2% of Bank & Trust Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in Duke Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 70,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,803,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 14,396 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,397,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the period. First Financial Bankshares Inc bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter worth $271,000. Redwood Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 23,940 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,323,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Europe London LLP bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $977,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK stock traded up $1.52 during trading on Thursday, reaching $112.84. The stock had a trading volume of 1,597,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,012,552. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $85.79 and a 52 week high of $118.31. The firm has a market cap of $87.09 billion, a PE ratio of 27.98, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $114.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $105.69.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.70%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 105.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI upped their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.15.

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.