Platform Technology Partners Has $1.91 Million Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Platform Technology Partners increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,551 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the quarter. Platform Technology Partners’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 9.4% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 108,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,520,000 after acquiring an additional 9,334 shares during the period. Goodman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at $2,888,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the first quarter valued at $1,396,000. PrairieView Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at $501,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 362.7% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 27,543 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,664,000 after acquiring an additional 21,590 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:DUK opened at $112.46 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $86.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.67, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $86.61 and a 52-week high of $121.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.97.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.72%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.85.

Duke Energy Company 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.