Nwam LLC Acquires 4,548 Shares of Duke Energy Corporation $DUK

Nwam LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) by 94.5% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,359 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,548 shares during the period. Nwam LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $1,185,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $728,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 19.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 23,162 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,825,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Duke Energy by 1.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 31,238 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 523.4% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 42,233 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,983,000 after purchasing an additional 35,458 shares during the period. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $954,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE DUK opened at $120.61 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $125.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $126.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.37. Duke Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $113.89 and a 1 year high of $134.49.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.66 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.78% and a net margin of 15.78%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Corporation will post 6.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.085 dividend. This represents a $4.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Duke Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.06. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on DUK. Evercore raised their target price on Duke Energy from $139.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Barclays cut their price target on Duke Energy from $140.00 to $132.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Duke Energy from $143.00 to $138.00 in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Duke Energy from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, May 11th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.94.

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.