Diversify Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,079 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $369,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DUK. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 69.6% in the second 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 stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 101.2% in the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. Barclays raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. 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, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $115.27 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $89.01 billion, a PE ratio of 21.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.46. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $115.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.01. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $86.61 and a twelve month high of $121.25.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.98%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other 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 value of $61,365.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.