Pacer Advisors Inc. Buys 16,259 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 21.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 93,376 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,259 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $10,766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Sachetta LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 41.9% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $114.70 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $89.92 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s 50-day moving average is $115.14 and its 200 day moving average is $109.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.69.

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.