VeraBank N.A. Purchases 5,220 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

VeraBank N.A. boosted its position in Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 212.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,682 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,220 shares during the quarter. VeraBank N.A.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $906,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DUK. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 98.1% during the first 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 period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 53.7% during the second quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 249 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 360.0% during the first quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 253 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring 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 Down 0.5%

Shares of Duke Energy stock opened at $123.01 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $105.20 and a 12-month high of $130.03. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $123.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $120.84. 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 market capitalization of $95.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $8.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. Analysts predict that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 3.5%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.98%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, SVP Bonnie B. Titone sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.38, for a total value of $248,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,608 shares in the company, valued at $2,438,843.04. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on DUK shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $134.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. BTIG Research raised shares of Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Cowen began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.00.

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.