StoneX Group Inc. Reduces Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

StoneX Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 6.9% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 15,145 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,125 shares during the period. StoneX Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,746,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 24,645 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,383,000 after buying an additional 1,964 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $65,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,203,916 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $116,431,000 after buying an additional 16,735 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 23,463 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,269,000 after purchasing an additional 1,051 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $114.70 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $115.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.80. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $89.92 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $88.60 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.69.

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.