Advisors Asset Management Inc. Boosts Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,613 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 667 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,146,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in Duke Energy by 98.1% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% during the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 360.0% in the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $123.52 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.42. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $124.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.00. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $130.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.06 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The company had revenue of $8.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.62 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.98%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value of $1,015,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at $1,407,234.60. This represents a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $136.00 in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.44.

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.