Ethos Financial Group LLC Grows Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Ethos Financial Group LLC grew its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 12.1% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 14,248 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,534 shares during the quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. grew its stake in Duke Energy by 4.8% during the first quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 1,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $223,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Lokken Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Lokken Investment Group LLC now owns 2,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Souders Financial Advisors increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 12,443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,518,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Orca Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 0.7% in the first quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,539,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BTIG Research upgraded Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Cowen initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $143.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.00.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:DUK opened at $124.05 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $96.46 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $105.20 and a 12-month high of $130.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $7.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.07 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The company’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.27%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Thomas Preston Jr. Gillespie sold 6,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.26, for a total value of $832,542.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,422 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,768,397.72. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.