First Bank & Trust Sells 3,651 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

First Bank & Trust lessened its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 43,024 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,651 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises 0.9% of First Bank & Trust’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. First Bank & Trust’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in DUK. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 11,471.4% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 6,777,973 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $781,500,000 after purchasing an additional 6,719,398 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 11,089 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,279,000 after buying an additional 1,747 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 173,982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $20,060,000 after buying an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 9.9% during the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 255,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,413,000 after purchasing an additional 23,000 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 35.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 50,308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,834,000 after purchasing an additional 13,056 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK traded down $1.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $117.21. 2,406,324 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,042,156. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $115.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.47. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $86.61 and a twelve month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The business’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.91 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp lowered shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

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.