Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,376 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,034 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $4,448,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DUK has been the topic of several recent research reports. KeyCorp lifted their price objective 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. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $108.69.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.31, for a total value of $173,415.45. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4 shares in the company, valued at approximately $409.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Lynn J. Good sold 15,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director E Marie Mckee sold 1,695 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Duke Energy stock traded up $0.32 on Monday, hitting $112.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,373,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,957,853. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $104.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $83.06 and a one year high of $116.67. The firm has a market cap of $87.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 for 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. This is an increase from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.03%.

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.