Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Lowers Position in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 494 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 108,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $10,520,000 after buying an additional 9,334 shares during the period. Goodman Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Duke Energy in the second quarter valued at $2,888,000. PrairieView Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $501,000. Commerce Bank grew its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 269,217 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,041,000 after purchasing an additional 15,069 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Duke Energy by 158.9% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 8,483 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $978,000 after purchasing an additional 5,206 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.31% of the company’s stock.

Duke Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of DUK opened at $114.70 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $89.92 and a fifty-two week high of $121.25. The company’s fifty day moving average is $115.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.74. The firm has a market cap of $88.60 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.94 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.045 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.64%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $104.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Duke Energy from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Duke Energy from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.69.

About Duke Energy

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.