Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by First Personal Financial Services

First Personal Financial Services lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,989 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the period. First Personal Financial Services’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 101.2% during the 1st quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $113.23 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $86.61 and a 12 month high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $87.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.73.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.98 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 76.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Barclays upped their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. KeyCorp downgraded Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target 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 assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.85.

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.