Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by Vinva Investment Management Ltd

Vinva Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 9.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,267 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,339 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 9.4% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 108,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,520,000 after buying an additional 9,334 shares in the last quarter. Goodman Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,888,000. Commerce Bank raised its position in Duke Energy by 5.9% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 269,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,041,000 after acquiring an additional 15,069 shares during the last quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $501,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 1,258.1% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 49,341 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,689,000 after purchasing an additional 45,708 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of DUK opened at $117.12 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $90.09 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The company’s fifty day moving average is $115.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.18. The firm has a market cap of $90.47 billion, a PE ratio of 21.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.94 EPS. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 76.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DUK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.69.

Duke Energy Company 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.