Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Grows Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 59.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 21,204 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,928 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,624,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Duke Energy by 2,284.6% during the 2nd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 310 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 2,608.3% in the 2nd quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $123.35 on Friday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $110.51 and a 1 year high of $130.03. The firm has a market cap of $95.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a 50-day moving average of $118.08 and a 200 day moving average of $121.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.40.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The business had revenue of $8.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.065 per share. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on DUK shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $126.00 to $125.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $137.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $132.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Duke Energy news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation is a U.S.-based electric power holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company’s core business is the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Duke Energy operates a mix of regulated electric utilities and non-regulated energy businesses, providing essential energy infrastructure and services across multiple states.

Its operating activities include owning and operating generation assets across a portfolio that encompasses nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric and an expanding array of renewable resources, as well as battery storage and grid modernization projects.