Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Advisory Alpha LLC

Advisory Alpha LLC reduced its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 15,141 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 401 shares during the quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large 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 first quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $116.22 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $113.83 and its 200-day moving average is $105.00. The stock has a market cap of $89.69 billion, a PE ratio of 29.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 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. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $83.06 and a twelve month high of $118.31.

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

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 105.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on DUK shares. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $121.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.21.

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.