Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Bought by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,352,141 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 173,500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $277,553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Duke Energy by 53.7% during the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 360.0% during the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.2%

DUK opened at $122.52 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $124.36 and its 200-day moving average is $120.97. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week high of $130.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $95.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.51% and a return on equity of 9.85%. The business had revenue of $8.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.51 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.62 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th 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 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value of $1,015,160.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DUK has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price objective on Duke Energy and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $136.00 in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, BTIG Research upgraded shares of Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.44.

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.