Foundations Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Holdings in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 2.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 490 shares during the quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,146,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 42.2% during the 2nd quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 7,444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $878,000 after acquiring an additional 2,210 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 51,354 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,264,000 after purchasing an additional 3,837 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,656,244 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,055,087,000 after buying an additional 93,699 shares during the period. Resolution Capital Ltd raised its stake in Duke Energy by 7.6% in the first quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 59,995 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,318,000 after buying an additional 4,255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its stake in Duke Energy by 88.1% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 4,861,309 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $592,934,000 after buying an additional 2,276,948 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:DUK opened at $122.74 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.91. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $105.20 and a 12 month high of $130.03. The company has a market capitalization of $95.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.96, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations of $8.51 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.85% and a net margin of 15.51%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.62 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

In related news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,438,843.04. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Duke Energy from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $143.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $127.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.63.

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.