Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Acquired by Savant Capital LLC

Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 6.3% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 97,005 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,708 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $11,447,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.3% during the first quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 6.4% in the second quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Souders Financial Advisors raised its position in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 12,443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,518,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orca Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $123.64 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $130.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $123.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.15 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.62 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. BTIG Research raised Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Cowen began coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total transaction of $832,542.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,768,397.72. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total transaction of $248,760.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,438,843.04. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.