Empowered Funds LLC Increases Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,601 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,432 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 69.6% during the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $113.78 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $115.21 and a 200-day moving average of $109.56. The firm has a market cap of $87.89 billion, a PE ratio of 20.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $88.73 and a 12 month high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company 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 3.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.85.

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.