Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Nixon Peabody Trust Co.

Nixon Peabody Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,666 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,021 shares during the period. Nixon Peabody Trust Co.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% in the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Sachetta LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on DUK shares. Barclays raised their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, August 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective 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. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.85.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.1 %

Duke Energy stock traded up $0.08 during trading on Monday, reaching $112.25. 457,387 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,053,501. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $115.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.33. The company has a market capitalization of $86.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $88.27 and a 52-week high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

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.