Bfsg LLC Buys 142 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Bfsg LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,752 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the quarter. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,078,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Howard Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $219,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP raised its stake in Duke Energy by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 2,326 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $226,000 after buying an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 435,157 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,084,000 after buying an additional 13,406 shares during the period. Duality Advisers LP boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 57.8% in the 1st quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 27,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,618,000 after buying an additional 9,917 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 182.5% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 39,014 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,786,000 after acquiring an additional 25,203 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE DUK traded up $0.29 during trading on Thursday, hitting $112.99. 2,021,935 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,948,288. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $116.67. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $107.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.03. The company has a market capitalization of $87.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

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, 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction 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 $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on DUK. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. KeyCorp lifted their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.92.

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.