Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Reduces Position in Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH reduced its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 9.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 457,971 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 47,541 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $56,674,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DUK. Simon Quick Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 42.2% in the second quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 7,444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $878,000 after purchasing an additional 2,210 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 37.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 41,642 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,153,000 after purchasing an additional 11,409 shares in the last quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $282,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 42.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 59,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,383,000 after purchasing an additional 17,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resolution Capital Ltd boosted its position in Duke Energy by 7.6% during the first quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd now owns 59,995 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,318,000 after purchasing an additional 4,255 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In other news, EVP Robert Alexander Glenn sold 8,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.80, for a total value 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. This represents a 41.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE DUK opened at $117.46 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.47, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $121.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.28. Duke Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $105.20 and a 12 month high of $130.03.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 15.76% and a return on equity of 9.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.62 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $1.065 dividend. This represents a $4.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 14th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on DUK shares. BTIG Research raised Duke Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their target price on Duke Energy from $131.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised Duke Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $136.50.

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.