Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co Buys 14,686 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 549.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,686 shares during the quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $2,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in DUK. Basso Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Duke Energy by 1,111.1% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management increased its stake in Duke Energy by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 300.0% in the fourth quarter. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC now owns 280 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DUK. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $138.00 to $134.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 20th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group cut their target price on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $135.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Duke Energy

In related news, CEO Louis E. Renjel sold 3,500 shares of Duke Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.15, for a total value of $438,025.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 21,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,087.25. This trade represents a 14.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Harry K. Sideris sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.37, for a total transaction of $2,487,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 96,102 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,952,205.74. This trade represents a 17.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Duke Energy Stock Down 1.0%

DUK opened at $124.24 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $113.89 and a twelve month high of $134.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $125.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $126.28. The stock has a market cap of $96.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.06. Duke Energy had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.76 EPS. Duke Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.085 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $4.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is currently 65.24%.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.