Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Stake Boosted by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,113 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,378 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,472,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PBMares Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Duke Energy by 2.1% during the second quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,425 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 4.9% in the third quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 1,944 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baron Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $121.69.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE:DUK traded down $0.22 on Monday, reaching $111.88. The stock had a trading volume of 2,572,636 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,053,350. The company has a 50-day moving average of $114.86 and a 200 day moving average of $110.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market cap of $86.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for 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%. Duke Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.74%. 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.