Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Cwm LLC

Cwm LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,252 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,841 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK traded up $0.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $113.51. 4,771,890 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,961,591. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $83.06 and a one year high of $116.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $104.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $409.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Duke Energy news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4 shares in the company, valued at approximately $409.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on DUK. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.75.

About Duke Energy

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.