Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 84,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,125 shares during the quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $7,420,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock traded down $0.63 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $109.27. 3,945,536 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,907,452. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $84.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $110.03. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $103.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.56.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.83%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 103.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DUK. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $109.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.58.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total value of $1,027,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,657 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,253.03. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the transaction, 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815. 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.