Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Bought by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 320,659 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 29,396 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $39,706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% during the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 2,284.6% during the 2nd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2,608.3% during the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $117.32 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $119.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.45, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.61 and a 52-week high of $130.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $8.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.51 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.98% and a net margin of 15.76%.Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.62 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on DUK shares. Morgan Stanley set a $126.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Mizuho increased their price target on Duke Energy from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Duke Energy from $136.00 to $126.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, October 6th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 target price for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $136.00 in a research report on Monday, November 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.50.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.