Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Acquired by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,592 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 604 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $13,213,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 69.6% in the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC boosted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DUK has been the subject of several recent research reports. 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 note on Tuesday, October 1st. KeyCorp lowered Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.69.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

DUK stock opened at $117.05 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $115.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $109.98. 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 $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $90.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.52, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

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.