Cetera Advisors LLC Acquires 1,540 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 3.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,560 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,540 shares during the quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,178,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth about $40,000. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 47,250 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,276,000 after acquiring an additional 581 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy by 29.5% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,751 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 2,223 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Duke Energy by 447.8% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,260 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5.2% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 6,505 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $726,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.68% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $90.01 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $89.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.03. The company has a market capitalization of $69.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.33, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $83.06 and a 12-month high of $106.43.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.02. Duke Energy had a net margin of 4.47% and a return on equity of 8.24%. The business had revenue of $7.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.13 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 18th. Investors of record on Friday, November 17th will be paid a $1.025 dividend. This represents a $4.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 261.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $93.00 in a report on Monday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $101.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 6th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $98.00 to $93.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.36.

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; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, solar and wind sources, renewables, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity.