Leavell Investment Management Inc. Increases Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 41,390 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 449 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $592,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,524 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,308,000 after buying an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 4,815 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 908 shares during the period. BCGM Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 9.2% in the first quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,748 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 4.5% during the first quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 3,718 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $360,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Barclays upped their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.9 %

DUK stock opened at $113.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $87.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $86.61 and a twelve month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.94 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.69%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.98%.

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.