CX Institutional Grows Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

CX Institutional grew its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,474 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the period. CX Institutional’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,032,000 after buying an additional 1,580 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 9,311 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $906,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Pflug Koory LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 10.4% in the 1st quarter. Pflug Koory LLC now owns 2,726 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 65,341 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,319,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.0% in the first quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc now owns 4,607 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $446,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently 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 stock in a transaction on 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $120.58 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $85.79 and a 1 year high of $120.81. The firm has a market cap of $93.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.30, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50-day moving average of $114.84 and a 200 day moving average of $106.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 105.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.85.

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.