Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Bell Bank

Bell Bank decreased its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 74,087 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 13,409 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises approximately 1.0% of Bell Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Bell Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cedar Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 101.2% in the first quarter. Cedar Wealth Management LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.5 %

Duke Energy stock opened at $111.27 on Thursday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $88.27 and a 12 month high of $121.25. 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 stock has a market cap of $85.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $115.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.07.

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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

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 3.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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 report on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.