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

Foundry Partners LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 307,821 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,663 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy comprises 1.7% of Foundry Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Foundry Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $30,853,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

Duke Energy stock traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $116.37. The stock had a trading volume of 300,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,935,237. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $83.06 and a 52 week high of $118.11. The company has a market cap of $89.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.36, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $109.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.93.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its 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. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 paid a $1.045 dividend. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays boosted their target price 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. Bank of America lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.