Mather Group LLC. Raises Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 36.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 13,748 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,686 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,330,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 9,164.0% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 979,294 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $95,031,000 after purchasing an additional 968,723 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its position in Duke Energy by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 7,502 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 37,811 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,669,000 after acquiring an additional 1,999 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,937 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,614,000 after acquiring an additional 1,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grimes & Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 8,823 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $856,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK stock traded up $1.88 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $112.89. The stock had a trading volume of 4,289,757 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,948,503. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $103.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.13 billion, a PE ratio of 28.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $83.06 and a twelve month high of $116.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. The firm had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on DUK. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of 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. Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their target price on Duke Energy from $101.00 to $94.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.58.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total transaction of $1,027,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,657 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,253.03. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the 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 completion of 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. Insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.