Transce3nd LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK)

Transce3nd LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,215 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the quarter. Transce3nd LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $514,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $282,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 41,504 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,472,000 after buying an additional 3,201 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 14,542 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,567,000 after buying an additional 386 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Ion Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $117.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $91.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $125.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $116.47 and a 200-day moving average of $115.95.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.17. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.88% and a net margin of 15.40%. The firm had revenue of $8.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.70 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. Duke Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on DUK. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Duke Energy from $128.00 to $123.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Duke Energy from $125.00 to $124.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays cut their price target on Duke Energy from $123.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Duke Energy from $122.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $127.00 target price (up from $124.00) on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.25.

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.