B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Buys New Shares in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 11,265 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,329,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 53.7% during the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,407,234.60. This trade represents a 41.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. BTIG Research upgraded Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $136.00 in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $137.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.06.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $116.76 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $105.20 and a twelve month high of $130.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $123.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $8.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.51 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.62 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 66.98%.

Duke Energy Company 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.