Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 913 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,055,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $500,000. Intrust Bank NA lifted its position in Duke Energy by 12.9% during the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 9,852 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $956,000 after acquiring an additional 1,125 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 57,121 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,543,000 after purchasing an additional 3,855 shares during the last quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 252,058 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $24,460,000 after purchasing an additional 36,000 shares during the period. Finally, Certuity LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 3,268 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $113.11. The company had a trading volume of 655,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,934,426. The company has a market capitalization of $87.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.50. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $116.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $107.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $101.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 10.78%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $113.92.

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.