Inspire Advisors LLC Acquires 2,587 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Inspire Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 46.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,136 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,587 shares during the quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $960,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. WealthShield Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Duke Energy by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 25,453 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,003,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Duke Energy by 6.4% during the second quarter. Private Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 1,408 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.7% in the first quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,539,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL grew its position in Duke Energy by 1.8% during the first quarter. Roberts Glore & Co. Inc. IL now owns 4,930 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $601,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sentry LLC increased its stake in Duke Energy by 4.9% during the second quarter. Sentry LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of several recent research reports. Scotiabank set a $137.00 price objective on Duke Energy and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Duke Energy from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $136.00 in a report on Monday, November 10th. BTIG Research raised shares of Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.63.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $123.88 on Wednesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $105.20 and a 52-week 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $124.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.95. The stock has a market cap of $96.33 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts’ expectations of $8.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $1.065 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $4.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 66.98%.

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.