Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $66.67 Million Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 578,238 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 19,295 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Duke Energy worth $66,671,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC lifted its position 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 period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $121.85.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,617.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of DUK stock traded up $0.18 on Friday, hitting $120.76. The company had a trading volume of 3,562,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,055,297. The stock's 50-day moving average is $115.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $93.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $85.79 and a twelve month high of $120.85.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.91 EPS. The company's revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 105.03%.

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.