Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Has $3.60 Million Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 250.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,260 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 22,332 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PBMares Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.1% in the second quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,425 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $444,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 1,944 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $315,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded down $0.06 on Friday, hitting $109.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,522,891 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,057,792. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $90.09 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The stock's 50-day moving average is $114.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $84.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 EPS for the current 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 given a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.83%. Duke Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank upped their price target on Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America raised 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. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $122.23.

About Duke Energy

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.