Global Assets Advisory LLC Takes $4.68 Million Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 48,419 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,683,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DUK. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 7,949 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $771,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Chemung Canal Trust Co. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 14,483 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,405,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Verum Partners LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Verum Partners LLC now owns 3,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 27,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,667,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE: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 52-week low of $83.06 and a 52-week high of $104.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The company had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.20 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a $1.025 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.04%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp boosted their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 20th. Mizuho increased their target price on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.33.

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.