Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) Shares Sold by B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,669 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,933 shares during the quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $8,278,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Sachetta LLC raised its stake in Duke Energy by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 325 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Duke Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Duke Energy by 100.0% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. 65.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Duke Energy Price Performance

Duke Energy stock opened at $108.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $84.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47. Duke Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $90.09 and a 1 year high of $121.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $114.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.80.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.045 dividend. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on DUK. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Duke Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp cut shares of Duke Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Mizuho raised Duke Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $122.23.

Duke Energy 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.