Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stake Boosted by Platform Technology Partners

Platform Technology Partners grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,551 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Platform Technology Partners’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,908,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of DUK. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 108,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $10,520,000 after buying an additional 9,334 shares during the period. Goodman Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,888,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,396,000. PrairieView Partners LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $501,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 362.7% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 27,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,664,000 after buying an additional 21,590 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $112.46 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $115.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.97. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $86.61 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on DUK shares. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.85.

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.