Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by NBW Capital LLC

NBW Capital LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 12.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,442 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. NBW Capital LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO grew its stake in Duke Energy by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 3,390 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Breakwater Capital Group grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.9% in the first quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 2,912 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,380 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 27,481 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,667,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock traded up $1.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $113.92. 4,606,697 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,871,585. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $116.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The business has a fifty day moving average of $103.57 and a 200 day moving average of $98.84. The company has a market capitalization of $87.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 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 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 business had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.67%. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 value of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4 shares in the company, valued at approximately $409.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4 shares in the company, valued at $409.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock valued at $2,750,815. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. Barclays upped their price target on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.58.

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.