Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Signaturefd LLC

Signaturefd LLC cut its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,326 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 283 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,882,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 28,436 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,279,000 after purchasing an additional 4,728 shares during the period. Mattern Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 2.4% in the third quarter. Traphagen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,867 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $561,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Calton & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $277,000. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 8,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $976,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of DUK opened at $119.88 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $92.52 billion, a PE ratio of 30.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The company’s fifty day moving average is $115.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.15. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $85.79 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.91 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.03%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America upped their price target on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.