Sanctuary Advisors LLC Buys 78,611 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 60.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 209,085 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 78,611 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $23,982,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the third quarter worth $30,000. Sachetta LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on DUK. 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 report on Wednesday, September 18th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.23.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.1 %

DUK stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $109.09. The company had a trading volume of 2,970,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,055,481. The company has a market capitalization of $84.27 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $114.49 and a 200 day moving average of $110.75. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.94 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.