Shepherd Financial Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Shepherd Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,515 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,013 shares during the period. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,288,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 101.2% during the 1st quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DUK traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $114.50. 852,276 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,031,074. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $86.61 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $115.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.01.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was 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 directly owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, August 29th. KeyCorp cut Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.85.

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.