Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV Purchases 256 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV increased its position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,135 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the quarter. Duke Energy comprises about 1.4% of Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $3,705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its stake in Duke Energy by 72.6% in the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 3,699 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares in the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $4,683,000. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $275,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Trust Co purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $216,000. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DUK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $121.85.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Louis E. Renjel sold 540 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.64, for a total value of $61,365.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,259,617.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $119.90 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $85.79 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $115.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $92.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.13, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.46.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 9.71%. The firm had revenue of $7.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.91 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s payout ratio is 105.03%.

Duke Energy Company Profile

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.