Prudential Financial Inc. Purchases 36,498 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 457,393 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,498 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Duke Energy worth $53,972,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Research & Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Research & Management Inc. now owns 45,655 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,387,000 after buying an additional 1,128 shares in the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Duke Energy by 6.9% in the second quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 2,837 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 762.3% in the second quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 11,951 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,410,000 after acquiring an additional 10,565 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 0.4% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,691,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,025,244,000 after acquiring an additional 34,906 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Enterprise Financial Services Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 3,129 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.4%

Duke Energy stock opened at $122.27 on Tuesday. 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 1-year low of $105.20 and a 1-year high of $130.03. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.98. The company has a market cap of $95.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders 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 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total transaction of $1,015,160.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,367 shares in the company, valued at $1,407,234.60. This represents a 41.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on DUK. Barclays increased 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. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price objective on shares of Duke Energy and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $143.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.44.

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.