Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) EVP Louis E. Renjel Sells 540 Shares

Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $113.46 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.81. The company has a market capitalization of $87.56 billion, a PE ratio of 28.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. 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 quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.91 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.68%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 105.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $108.92.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duke Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.