Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,040 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $681,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. Howard Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $219,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 39.4% in the fourth quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 2,326 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $226,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Duke Energy by 3.2% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 435,157 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,084,000 after acquiring an additional 13,406 shares during the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 27,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,618,000 after acquiring an additional 9,917 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 182.5% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 39,014 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,786,000 after purchasing an additional 25,203 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on DUK. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Duke Energy from $103.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Mizuho upped their price target on Duke Energy from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $96.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.58.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total transaction of $1,549,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 437,464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Duke Energy news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.30, for a total value of $1,549,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 437,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $45,190,031.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Julia S. Janson sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.79, for a total value of $1,027,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 68,657 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,057,253.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 26,695 shares of company stock worth $2,750,815. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Price Performance

NYSE:DUK traded up $1.32 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $113.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,606,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,926,152. The company has a market capitalization of $87.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.11, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $83.06 and a 52-week high of $116.67. The business’s 50-day moving average is $103.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The firm had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.20 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Duke Energy 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.