Community Trust & Investment Co. Takes Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Community Trust & Investment Co. bought a new position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 4,392 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $506,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Cedar Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 101.2% during the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

NYSE DUK traded up $0.53 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $120.41. 91,005 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,038,250. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $86.61 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $92.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.15.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $121.85.

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.