Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by GYL Financial Synergies LLC

GYL Financial Synergies LLC cut its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,874 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 600 shares during the period. GYL Financial Synergies LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,591,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. abrdn plc increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 72.6% in the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 317,461 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,806,000 after buying an additional 133,527 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 13.0% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,375 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 37,368 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,181 shares in the last quarter. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $500,000. Finally, Duality Advisers LP acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,665,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $111.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $86.39 billion, a PE ratio of 28.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $106.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.46. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $116.67.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. 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 announced 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 an increase 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 dividend yield of 3.73%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on DUK. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.85.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.