Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Stock Position Lifted by Virtus Advisers LLC

Virtus Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 80.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 963 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the period. Virtus Advisers LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 53.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 360.0% in the 1st quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $123.77 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $96.25 billion, a PE ratio of 20.12, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $124.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.19. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $105.20 and a 52 week high of $130.03.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on DUK. TD Cowen began coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $143.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.