Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 106,531 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 14,726 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $12,283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter worth $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 101.2% during the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock traded down $0.57 on Tuesday, reaching $111.89. The company had a trading volume of 2,876,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,062,985. The company's fifty day moving average is $115.81 and its 200 day moving average is $108.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $86.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.67, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $86.61 and a 1 year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $121.85.

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.