Geode Capital Management LLC Buys 442,302 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,488,176 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 442,302 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.26% of Duke Energy worth $2,016,846,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 25.0% in the second quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 12,646 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,268,000 after acquiring an additional 2,532 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 31.5% in the second quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 1,253 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,760 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,279,000 after acquiring an additional 842 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 30.4% during the 2nd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 4,822 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 target price for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $121.69.

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE DUK traded down $1.51 on Wednesday, reaching $109.60. The company had a trading volume of 3,820,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,056,125. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $90.09 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The stock's 50 day moving average is $114.76 and its 200-day moving average is $110.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The stock has a market cap of $84.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a PEG ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

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.