Leavell Investment Management Inc. Raises Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,390 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 449 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $84,000. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $251,000. Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.0% during the third quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 21,602 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,490,000 after acquiring an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 9,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J.P. Marvel Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $209,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock opened at $113.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $87.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.85, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $115.84 and a 200-day moving average of $108.73. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $86.61 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target 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. Six 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.85.

Duke Energy Company 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.