DRW Securities LLC Acquires 100,993 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

DRW Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 2,604.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 104,870 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 100,993 shares during the period. Duke Energy comprises 0.3% of DRW Securities LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. DRW Securities LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $12,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Duke Energy by 69.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new position in Duke Energy during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 41.9% in the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:DUK opened at $114.70 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $89.92 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The company has a market cap of $88.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $115.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.80.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Mizuho upgraded shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $121.69.

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.