Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Country Trust Bank

Country Trust Bank lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 36.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,015 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 535 shares during the quarter. Country Trust Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 12,377 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,427,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 2,366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $233,000. Everpar Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $217,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 7,131 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $822,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on DUK. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.21.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $110.67 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $85.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $114.31 and a 200-day moving average of $105.54. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $85.79 and a 52 week high of $118.31.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.