West Family Investments Inc. Purchases 456 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

West Family Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,285 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the quarter. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 215.2% in the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 20,187 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,952,000 after acquiring an additional 13,783 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 65.0% during the 1st quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 6,379 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 2,514 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 6,927 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $670,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Natixis acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $28,653,000. Finally, MQS Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $353,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

DUK stock opened at $113.18 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.88, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $88.27 and a twelve month high of $121.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $115.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.43.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.85.

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.