apricus wealth LLC Has $2.29 Million Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

apricus wealth LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,886 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 983 shares during the period. apricus wealth LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,293,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 101.2% during the 1st quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring 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 about $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $119.01 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $86.61 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $91.85 billion, a PE ratio of 29.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. 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 50-day moving average of $115.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.25.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 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 $2,259,617.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.