Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc Sells 133 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc cut its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,474 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 133 shares during the quarter. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $448,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $112.67. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,218,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,968,208. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $83.06 and a 12 month high of $116.67. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.96 billion, a PE ratio of 28.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.91 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company 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 $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total transaction of $173,415.45. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $45,190,031.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on DUK. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Scotiabank increased their price target on Duke Energy from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price target on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Six equities research 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 company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.75.

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.