Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Waldron Private Wealth LLC

Waldron Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,437 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 139 shares during the quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $396,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Leo Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 18,190 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,198 shares during the period. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,805,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $609,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 19.9% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 28,436 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,279,000 after purchasing an additional 4,728 shares during the period. Finally, Mattern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $119.88 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $85.79 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $115.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.15. 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.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.91 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DUK. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

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. 0.10% of the stock is currently 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.