Vise Technologies Inc. Acquires 3,879 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK – Free Report) by 70.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,398 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,879 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $843,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 0.5% during the first quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC now owns 20,845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,326,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 13,066 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,261,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. First Manhattan Co. increased its position in shares of Duke Energy by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 11,917 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,227,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 6.8% in the first quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 1,727 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Duke Energy by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 19,405 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,872,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. 63.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on DUK shares. StockNews.com upgraded Duke Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $98.00 to $93.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Duke Energy from $104.00 to $101.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 6th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Duke Energy from $105.00 to $98.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $109.00 to $96.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.36.

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Duke Energy Price Performance

Shares of DUK opened at $87.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $67.79 billion, a PE ratio of 56.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.45. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $83.06 and a 1-year high of $106.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $91.44.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.92 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $7.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.13 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 8.24% and a net margin of 4.47%. Duke Energy’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.025 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 16th. This represents a $4.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.66%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 261.15%.

About Duke Energy

(Free Report)

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; and uses coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, oil, solar and wind sources, renewables, and nuclear fuel to generate electricity.