Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,564 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,690 shares during the quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 69.6% in the 2nd 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 period. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 101.2% during the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $117.21 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $86.61 and a 52 week high of $121.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market cap of $90.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $115.51 and a 200-day moving average of $107.33.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Insider Transactions at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total transaction of $61,365.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have 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 report on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.