Vectors Research Management LLC Increases Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Vectors Research Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,908 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,161 shares during the period. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,951,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 3.1% during the first quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 4,702 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $455,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $45,000. Banco Santander S.A. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 31.8% during the 1st quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 11,626 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after acquiring an additional 2,804 shares during the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 23,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,258,000 after acquiring an additional 1,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,396,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.85.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

DUK opened at $110.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $88.27 and a one year high of $121.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $115.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.08.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. 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 3.78%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

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.