Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by LGT Financial Advisors LLC

LGT Financial Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 47.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 708 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 632 shares during the period. LGT Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $82,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Sachetta LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $113.62 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $115.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.61. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $86.61 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $87.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.92, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.91 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.98%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Six equities 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.85.

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.