Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI Has $5.69 Million Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI lowered its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 49,383 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,044 shares during the period. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $5,694,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 69.6% in the second 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 period. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $120.76 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $85.79 and a 52 week high of $120.85. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $115.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.74. The stock has a market cap of $93.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.34, 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.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.91 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.