Duke Energy Corporation $DUK Shares Bought by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its position in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 221.4% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 26,477 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,239 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in DUK. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in 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 acquired a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the second quarter worth $28,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% in the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 360.0% in the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.2%

DUK opened at $122.78 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a one year low of $105.20 and a one year high of $130.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $124.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.97.

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

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $131.00 to $136.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen started coverage on Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price objective on the stock. BTIG Research raised Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value of $1,015,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 11,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,407,234.60. The trade was a 41.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.