Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Evermay Wealth Management LLC

Evermay Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,872 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 197 shares during the quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,254,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake 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 shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.37 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $114.04. 415,068 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,027,560. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.92. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $86.61 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The firm has a market cap of $88.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.46.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.98%.

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.