Venture Visionary Partners LLC Decreases Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Venture Visionary Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,837 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 371 shares during the quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $673,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 69.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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 shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,617.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $119.88 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $85.79 and a twelve month high of $121.25. 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 has a market capitalization of $92.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.12, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $115.25 and its 200 day moving average is $107.15.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.49%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.85.

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.