Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Boosts Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 38.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,796 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,602 shares during the quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $668,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 101.2% during the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $111.27 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $85.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $115.73 and a 200-day moving average of $109.07. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $88.27 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS 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 given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus 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.