Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Position Increased by AdvisorNet Financial Inc

AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 72.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,699 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,556 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 46.6% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 368 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $101.51 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $78.34 billion, a PE ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $83.06 and a one year high of $104.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $100.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.32.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.20 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.04%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 103.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on DUK. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.33.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total transaction of $1,027,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,657 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,057,253.03. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $409.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total transaction of $1,027,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,057,253.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Duke Energy 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.