Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Increases Stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 57.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 59,105 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,635 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $6,815,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% during the 2nd 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 purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC raised its holdings in Duke Energy by 41.9% in the second 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 period. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

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

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on DUK shares. KeyCorp downgraded 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 reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.85.

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.