Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Bought by Aspiriant LLC

Aspiriant LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 8.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,499 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 365 shares during the period. Aspiriant LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,010,030 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,030,865,000 after acquiring an additional 1,002,157 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,141,020 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,081,125,000 after acquiring an additional 509,039 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 4.9% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,468,016 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $923,907,000 after acquiring an additional 492,011 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,515,388 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $799,599,000 after acquiring an additional 842,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 8,113,443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $787,328,000 after acquiring an additional 42,782 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at $45,190,031.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total value of $1,027,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 68,657 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,253.03. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE DUK opened at $100.62 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $83.06 and a 52-week high of $104.87. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $101.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.38. The firm has a market cap of $77.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a dividend of $1.025 per share. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Bank of America increased their target price on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on Duke Energy from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.33.

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.