SWS Partners Has $1.92 Million Stock Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

SWS Partners lessened its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 31.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,627 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,477 shares during the quarter. SWS Partners’ holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,917,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position 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 bought a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Price Performance

DUK stock traded up $2.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $117.18. The stock had a trading volume of 1,832,426 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,030,882. Duke Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $85.79 and a 52 week high of $118.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.16.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.84 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.71% and a net margin of 14.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.03%.

Insider Activity

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was 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 directly owns 19,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.85.

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.