Wills Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Wills Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 4.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,908 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the quarter. Wills Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Sachetta LLC increased its position in Duke Energy by 41.9% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 82.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

DUK opened at $114.02 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25. The company has a market capitalization of $88.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.47. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $115.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.49. 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 (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.94 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. 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 3.67%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on DUK. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.69.

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.