Aigen Investment Management LP Acquires 13,557 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Aigen Investment Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 248.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,023 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 13,557 shares during the quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased 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 last quarter. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Sachetta LLC grew its stake in 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. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of Duke Energy stock traded up $0.29 on Tuesday, reaching $112.75. 135,879 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,050,480. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $115.81 and its 200-day moving average is $108.97. Duke Energy Co. has a one year low of $86.61 and a one year high of $121.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $87.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.47.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.94 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Six 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 an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.