Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Purchased by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 7.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 466,368 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,211 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $46,744,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of DUK. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.9% in the second quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 173,347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $17,375,000 after acquiring an additional 1,482 shares during the last quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,980 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares in the last quarter. Mason & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $256,000. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 198.9% in the second quarter. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. now owns 13,506 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,354,000 after buying an additional 8,988 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in Duke Energy by 12.6% during the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 10,488 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,105,000 after buying an additional 1,177 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.27 on Wednesday, hitting $113.99. 496,037 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,951,432. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $105.03 and its 200 day moving average is $99.71. The stock has a market cap of $87.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.58, a PEG ratio of 3.09 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.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 10.78% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.91 EPS. 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 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,259,617.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DUK has been the topic of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $99.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $94.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $108.69.

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.