Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Purchases 708 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,995 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 708 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,498,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 41.9% in the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE DUK opened at $113.57 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $115.33 and its 200 day moving average is $109.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.88, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $88.27 and a 1 year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its earnings results 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). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Bank of America upped their target price on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.