Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 32.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 111,429 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 27,462 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $12,848,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE DUK traded up $0.30 on Monday, reaching $115.00. The company had a trading volume of 4,162,960 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,074,687. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.84 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $115.08 and a 200-day moving average of $109.88. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders 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 3.63%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DUK. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $121.69.

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.