Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 34,767 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lessened its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,016,455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 34,767 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned about 0.26% of Duke Energy worth $202,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 101.2% during the 1st 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. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $116.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $118.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $112.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.82.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $1.045 dividend. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $116.36.

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.