Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Increases Stock Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 59.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,204 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 7,928 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,624,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 2,284.6% during the 2nd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 2,608.3% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of DUK stock opened at $123.35 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $95.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $118.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.59. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $110.51 and a 12-month high of $130.03.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value of $1,015,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on DUK. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho upped their target price on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.50.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.